Shiro: Time Bomb Book I
by Starwoid24
Summary: a Jedi Youngling kidnapped by the Empire and experimented upon in order to make him into an assassin escapes, his mind scarred by the experience. Now insane, he vows to destroy the program and save his friends evading the Emperor's henchmen. Based on rpg.
1. Chapter 1

_When the answer is not known, it is something. When the answer is known, it is nothing._

_A riddle._

_**SHIRO: TIME BOMB**_

_A STAR WARS fan novel_

_Book I: The Hunted_

_Prologue _

I

The afternoon sun poured through the windows of the Jedi Temple. It was almost time for Master Yoda's routine teaching sessions with the Tiger clan of Jedi Younglings. The students were gathered in the instruction room, talking about the day's events and any new information they had gleaned from the holonet, or playing hologames on their mobile holocomps. One student sat alone in a corner hunched over a thick book. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. He was twelve and short for his age. The other Younglings gathered in a circle, glanced over and giggled derisively at him.

One student looked over at the loner and said, "Look at him. He's such a nerd. All he does is read and think up strange riddles."

Another student said,"Should we ask him to play a hologame with us?

"No! He's just gonna guess the winner ahead of time or stop the game by proposing boring new strategies."

The loner looked up from his book at the kids and heaved a sigh. He didn't have to use his Jedi intuition to guess what they were saying about him. He only had a few close friends among the Younglings. Most of them didn't understand him or refused to. They never wanted to play his games based on role-play or improvisation.

One dark-haired girl moved away from the group and walked up to him. She smiled kindly. "Hello, Shiro."

Shiro looked up. "Oh. Hello, Kyra. What do you want? Are you gonna make fun of me too?"

"No. Of course not. I came to check on you. You promised to tell me some riddles, remember?"

"I thought you were just kidding."

Kyra crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Come on, Shiro, quit being so moody. The more you close yourself off, the more you insure your isolation."

Shiro smiled and set his book aside. "Okay then."

Kyra sat down beside Shiro.

Shiro began, "An oval box without key or lid. Inside, golden treasure is hid."

Kyra thought for a moment and shrugged. "I don't know."

Shiro smiled. "Try to think of it as a metaphor. What's oval and yellow on the inside?"

"…An egg!"

Shiro chuckled, "Yep."

"That was good! See, you can have fun with other people."

They both laughed. "Another one," Kyra said.

A tall figure approached the two and spoke, "Hello, Kyra. Is Shiro grilling you with another one of his brain teasers?"

Shiro smirked, "Yeah, Marik. I took it easy on her this time."

Kyra frowned, "Did not!"

Marik laughed and leaned down. "Mind if I borrow Shiro for a moment, Kyra?"

"Sure. It's time for Master Yoda's lessons anyway. Talk to you later, Shiro." Kyra hopped up and left Shiro with a wink.

Marik smiled as he observed the two close friends. He looked back at Shiro, "I see some things are improving, hm?"

Shiro shrugged his shoulders. Marik sat down next to Shiro. He was tall with reddish brown hair cut short but falling into his hazel eyes. He was dressed in an emerald green robe, customary attire for a Corellian-born Jedi.

Marik and Shiro had been close friends since Shiro was seven. They had similar mindsets and were both good at riddles. Whenever the other Younglings made fun of Shiro, Marik was always there to stick up for him. They were so close they often referred to each other as "brother."

Marik Horn was an oddity among the Jedi, having been born on Corellia and being entitled to the benefits of a Corellian Jedi. Marik was allowed to see his parents and could wear special green robes. He also had the privilege of being permitted to marry, if he so chose. Some of the other Jedi resented him for these accommodations. But at the same time the Jedi recognized him as a quick learner and as being very strong in the Force. As was the case with many Corellians, Marik was something of a rule-breaker and had been quite mischievous in his youth. As time wore on, he came to understand the importance of the Jedi restrictions and he had learned from his master, Garen Muln, to serve as a voice of wisdom and guidance to students like Shiro. However, from time to time, his fidelity to the rules slackened and he had often been seen breaking curfew to go a speeder ride through the grungier areas of Coruscant and was known to be frequent drinker in Coruscanti bars. But because he was an oddity himself, Shiro liked this aspect of Marik.

After a pause, Shiro spoke. "You have something you want to tell me, Marik?"

Marik sighed. "Yes, the Council called for me today. It had to do with my participation in the War."

"Really? I see. So that means they have made a decision on your undergoing the trials?"

His face broke out in a boyish grin as he turned his face towards Shiro. The Padawan braid he had sported for twelve years was conspicuous in its absence.

Shiro grinned ecstatically. "Alright, Marik! Yes! Give me palm!" He held up his hand.

Marik gave Shiro a high five. "The Council decided that I had already passed the Trial of Courage due to my actions in the war. They just performed the ceremony. You are the first one that I wanted to tell, little brother."

"Well, I figured it was only a matter of time. You really are powerful. But you seem upset. What's this about the War?"

Marik sighed again. "It goes not well, I fear. There is a feeling of darkness I cannot explain. The Council wishes me to accompany Master Garen to Acherin. I hear there is trouble there."

Shiro's expression fell. "Oh... I see." He hesitated, "Marik, I... I know you have an obligation but I don't want you to go. Something might happen to you."

"Shiro, you know the decision is not mine to make. This is an order from the Council itself."

Shiro lowered his head." I know. Well, the Council thinks they know it all. But even they come up short. You can't just force people to do things against their will all the time."

Marik waited for Shiro to finish. He chose to let Shiro's bold words pass unchallenged and said, "Despite many close calls, they haven't got me yet." He absently rubbed his side where a blaster had caught him at the Battle of Thule. He added, "Besides, this will give me some time to think on the future. There is much for me to think on."

"Like what?"

"There are many decisions for me to make now. Am I happy as a Jedi Knight? Do I want to try to be a Jedi Master? Am I even ready to train a Padawan?" Marik looked meaningfully at Shiro. "And would it be fair to you in these uncertain times to take you on as such...?"

Shiro's eyes widened. "You mean...? Marik, are you saying..? Wow!"

Marik smiled and nodded at the astounded Shiro. "It is well known that I want to train you. I intend to tell the Council of my decision as soon as I return from Acherin. It is too dangerous, I fear, for you to accompany me there."

"Oh, my gosh! But, but, wait, Marik. You mean…? Aw gee! I hate to wait. I've wanted to be a Padawan for so long. They make you wait for so long. You know I'm about to turn 13. Can't the War wait?"

Marik laughed sadly, "I wish. I will only be gone for a few months, and then we will begin training. Better grow out your hair for that braid."

"Heh! Sure thing! So you think they'll let me become your Padawan for sure?

Marik nodded enthusiastically. "Without a doubt. The Council knows my intentions."

"Yes! This is so great! Can't wait to tell Kyra!"

"She will be so excited for you, I know it."

"Marik, we won't see each other for a while. I want to leave you with a riddle before you go."

Marik smiled and nodded, "Go for it, and then I'll give you one."

Shiro paused. "If you break me, I do not stop working. If you touch me, I may be snared. If you lose me, nothing will matter."

Marik thought for a moment. "Wait, is the answer a heart?"

Shiro smirked. "No fair using Force Intuition!"

Marik held up his hands in defense. "I swear I did no such thing!"

Shiro laughed.

"Now for my riddle," Marik said. "You can have me but cannot hold me. Gain me and quickly lose me. If treated with care I can be great. And if betrayed I will break. What am I?"

Shiro hesitated, "Hmm... Let's see. That's...that's..."

Suddenly Master Yoda came over to Shiro and interrupted, "Shiro, time for class it is."

Marik nodded towards Yoda. "He will be there in just a moment, Master Yoda."

Yoda nodded at Marik. "Very well, Knight Marik." He walked off.

Shiro blurted out, "Trust! It is trust!"

Marik nodded."Very good, Shiro. That one was difficult. But trust that I will always have your back, as long as I am able."

"Same here, brother."

"Now, Master Garen and I are leaving in a few hours. I must prepare. When I return, we will start your training, little brother." Marik rose and mussed Shiro's hair affectionately. "Until then, may the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you, Marik."

Marik turned to go and started down the hallway. Shiro suddenly rushed toward Marik to give him a big hug. Marik felt Shiro rushing towards him and turned just in time to return the hug. The other students stared awkwardly.

"You take care, big brother!" Shiro rushed off to the teaching area with one smiling backward glance.

Marik smiled and said to himself. "You too, little brother. Take care." He turned and walked away with a strange feeling of melancholy. He was unable to shake the strange dark feeling of something terrible to come that had invaded his soul.

II

One night, sometime later, the Tiger clan went through the worst experience of their lives. The siege alarm went off in the Jedi Temple. The Younglings felt the rapid ripples of many Jedi deaths at the same time. They ran to hide from the unknown intruders. Running with his fellow students, Shiro heard many shouts and screams echoing through the halls. There were sounds of blasterfire and lightsabers humming. There had been no warning. Whoever the intruders were, they somehow knew how to break the tight security codes and protection systems of the Jedi Temple. At first, all the Youngling clans moved together, led by the few Jedi Knights that remained in the Temple. But soon, in their fear, they became separated from one another and from safety in numbers.

Shiro and Kyra ran, holding hands. They spotted a red-haired girl crying in a corner. It was Alexia. She was immobile with fear. Shiro ran up to her and shook her gently.  
"Hey, Alexia! Come on! We gotta go! They're coming!"

Alexia whimpered, "They're…They're dead! They're all dying!"

"Alexia, please! We gotta hurry or we'll be next!"

Shiro held out his hand and Alexia fearfully took it. She ran with him and Kyra toward a darkened classroom where the rest of the Tiger Clan was hiding. They sealed the doors shut and hunkered in a corner, shivering.

They heard the sound of armored boots approaching in the hallway. Kyra squeezed Shiro's arm. The door was suddenly forced opened and in walked a group of Clone Troopers, soldiers in the service of the Republic and the Jedi. However, as the Clones leveled their rifles toward the Younglings, it soon became apparent that the intruders were traitors. The Clones advanced toward the Younglings. The Younglings moved back with fear.

Suddenly, Alexia rushed forward toward the Clones, screaming with fury. A Clone Trooper fired a shot into her shoulder that sent her onto the floor. Shiro and Kyra looked at the Troopers fiercely and winced. Then the Troopers fired rapidly at the group of Younglings, killing some of them.

Shiro looked around at his dead comrades and yelled "NO!" A Clone came up to Shiro and put his blaster up against Shiro's head, preparing to fire.

At that instant, a familiar voice spoke. "Wait."A hooded figure stepped forward from the dark. The figure had seemed invisible until that moment. "The Chancellor has something special planned for this group."

Shiro suddenly recognized the voice and looked into the face of the former Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. In surprise, Shiro called out, "You!" The figure moved his hand over Shiro's face and Shiro immediately fell unconscious.

III

Shiro's consciousness faded in and out many times. He saw unclear images and faces. He could tell very little at first. He felt as if he was hooked up to a strange machine. He heard `scattered words. Patches of light and dark. Then, out of the shadows of his mind's eye, a distinct form fluttered toward him. A dark form, resembling a black bird. He heard the harsh cackling of an old man change into raspy bird caws.

Then he felt energy flowing through him. It was the power of the Force. He was being filled up with power that was many times greater than he had had before. He realized someone, whoever had kidnapped him, was preparing him to use this power for something. But for what?

Sometime later, he felt a searing pain. Something had gone wrong. Shiro couldn't think straight. Nothing made sense. All he knew was fear and pain.

IV

Years later, Shiro was on Dantooine, meditating on a rock pillar on the savannah. Much had happened in the years that had followed. A new Empire had been established by Chancellor Palpatine, who was revealed as a Dark Lord of the Sith, and the Jedi were now hunted outcasts. Except for those who decided to join the Empire and follow the Dark Side of the Force. The rest were ordered to be arrested on sight, or killed. Shiro had been lucky though. After he had escaped from the laboratory three years ago, he had hitched a ride on the smuggler ship _Starry Ice_, captained by Frell Stryker. Frell had been kind to take Shiro under his wing in exchange for work onboard the ship. There he had met the famed smuggler, Amelie Starkiller, and another Jedi in hiding, Mulann Fennixx. Together they had many adventures evading bounty hunters seeking Amelie's famed galaxy compass. Shiro became good friends with Mulann, who helped him to piece together his memory, which had been robbed from him in the experiments in the laboratory.

Not everything could be restored however. The experiments from the laboratory had gone awry and had damaged Shiro's sanity. He often said many random, nonsensical things. He acted rashly and aloof. And then there was "Crow." The experiments had mentally imprinted Shiro with a dark Force demon who called himself Crow. Crow appeared to Shiro as a black bird or as an old man in a cloak, leading Shiro to believe that Crow was some kind of mirror program of Darth Sidious. Crow often talked to Shiro in his mind and told him to do bad things. Shiro usually could resist Crow's influence but there were some times when it was too much. The pain of losing his Jedi friends had instilled him with a dark, constant mood of suspicion and he had closed himself off from others. He was afraid of trust and it was Mulann who helped him open up more.

But one day, something strange happened. A message was sent to Shiro via the holonet. The message was a trigger sent by the Empire. The truth became apparent. Shiro had been conditioned in the lab to be a sleeper cell for the Sith and the Empire. An assassin programmed mentally to follow commands when given the right signals or codes. This was why he had been infused with greater Force powers. So that he could be very strong, even at such a young age. On the surface, he was a good person who wouldn't willingly do terrible things, but when given the right commands he could be used as a living weapon. He was a ticking time bomb, ready to go off at any moment when given the right signal. He was compelled to lead his friends to Thule, where Imperial agents, led by a former Jedi named Antinnis Tremayne waited. They forced Shiro to bring Amelie's compass them, so they could activate a weapon called the Sith Reaver. When Amelie and her friends found the Dark Jedi, Melkior forced Shiro to fight Mulann with a lightsaber. But the Dark Jedi had not counted on the power of Mulann's friendship. Mulann pleaded with Shiro and Shiro was able to somehow defy his programming. He used his power to destroy the Sith Reaver and drive the Dark Jedi away.

Mulann then decided that she would take Shiro on as her Padawan. She felt she could use her friendship with Shiro to ease the torment of his mind and keep him from falling into the programming of the Sith and Crow. And, after a while, it worked. Shiro rarely heard the voice of Crow and he was never compelled to go out and serve the Empire. But, in the back of Shiro's mind, he felt that something more needed to be done.

It wasn't enough to hide from the Empire in the Outer Rim. He knew that if the Empire had programmed one Youngling, they had programmed others. How many more were there like him, forced to do the Empire's bidding, suffering from the effects of the experiments? He had to do something about it. There had to be some way to delete the programming. He knew that the programming was controlled by a computer chip implanted in the brains of the Younglings, transmitted signals from an unknown source. The Empire was hiding the truth and the time had come to put a stop to the enslavement. He wanted to strike back.

In fact, even though he knew that the feelings of hatred and the desire for vengeance he had came from the Dark Side, he could do little to resist them. He was already making plans to leave off-world. He believed Mulann didn't know. He had found a hidden transmitter on the planet and had used it to contact a smuggler ship that would take him to Ord Mantell. His assault must begin there. The strange thing was that Crow was actually helping him. It seemed that Crow had somehow become a dark program independent of the Empire and was only intent on tempting Shiro to the Dark Side. Crow had told him that to find the information he sought, he must infiltrate an Imperial base and download the information on the Youngling Project. Shiro wasn't completely sure he could trust Crow. But he believed that he had to save the others and he refused to hide any longer, letting others suffer. He had to act.

Shiro suddenly opened his eyes. Mulann stood before him, smiling patiently. She had black hair, tanned skin and almond colored eyes. She wore her usual purple and red robes and her silken veil.

"Well, Shiro, how are you today? You seem distracted."

Shiro nodded. "I try to meditate and train with calmness, Mulann. But, it's true; I continue to remember that they are still out there, waiting. Waiting for me. How long before they find the bird that has flown the coop? Is it wise to continue skulking in the dark? They will find us sooner or later."

"Yes, Shiro, they are still out there. But, as my master once told me, 'Patience preserves.' What is wise is to prepare oneself for the trials one must someday face. Not rush into danger and thus invite disaster."

Shiro sighed. He murmured one of his mad phrases, "No end to attack, they might come back." Then he shook his head. He knew Mulann was right but, in his heart, he refused to abide with this advice. Too much was at stake.

Mulann went up to Shiro and put a hand on his shoulder. Though he was unpredictable as a learner, he had been a true friend to her. Mulann had always had a unique life among the Jedi. At an early age, she had lost her parents to disease on Tattooine. She was taken in by the Tusken Raiders, who showed a rare kindness to her. Her Tusken village was later attacked by a Sith Acolyte named Nosaj and she was rescued by Jedi Master Korba Non. Non was an emissary of peace to the Tusken Raiders, teaching them to use their skills for good. After being trained as a Jedi Knight, Mulann went undercover as a dancer for Jabba the Hutt. That was how she met Amelie and forged a lifelong bond. Mulann fell in love and married Korba Non, though this went against the advice of the Jedi Council. Tragedy struck when Nosaj returned and killed Korba. Mulann had found refuge in her friendship with Amelie, who had put aside her hatred of Jedi for Mulann's sake, and in the patience of the Jedi way.

This patience was something she had tried to pass on to Shiro, unsuccessfully.

"Shiro, even though you must learn to put aside your hate and focus on compassion, you're getting to the point where my guidance will no longer be needed. So you must look inside yourself to make the right decision."

Shiro smiled up at her. He wished he could understand. But he felt he had to go. And he must not tell Mulann. He did not want her to get hurt. For he suspected there was much danger to come.

V

The doors to the Imperial base on Ord Mantell opened as if by magic. The Imperial operatives looked in the hallway to see all their soldiers lying dead on the floor. In the center of the hall stood a small figure dressed in the tattered remnants of a Jedi uniform, holding a lightsaber. His eyes were filled with hate. The unarmed operatives sat at their computers, staring aghast.

The small figure, Shiro, whispered, "The cat will mew and the dog will have his day."

An operative reached to press the alarm button but Shiro suddenly swooped onto him and sliced him in half with his saber. He couldn't stop himself. Crow was commanding him. _"Kill them! Kill them all!"_

Shiro tried to regain control but Crow was too powerful. It seemed that Crow had just been waiting for the right moment, when Shiro was alone and in a position to take revenge.

Shiro ran around the room slicing the screaming operatives in half.

"_They deserve to die. Punish them! Do it now!"_

Shiro knocked one operative to the floor. He stood over him and said, "No end to attack. You won't come back."

"_CUT THEM DOWN!"_

The operative tried to crawl away. He screamed out, "Mercy!"

Shiro sliced him down the middle. He turned around with hate in his eyes. Only then did the voice of Crow cease. Shiro stopped and looked around in shock at what he had done.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 1_

In a darkened room, Antinnis Tremayne sat at the head of a table, surrounded by Dark Jedi in black robes. He was deep in thought. An elderly man, also in black robes, with grayish black hair and a long beard walked in. He was followed by a small, red-haired girl in black.

The elderly man spoke. "You wished to see us, Tremayne?"

"Ah yes, Melkior and Tarkin's agent, Alexia. Do sit down. The others will be in soon. Alexia, I don't believe you have met Melkior. Melkior is a member of the Prophets of the Dark Side. He has been serving us on Dromund Kaas."

The girl rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Is he anything like you?"

Tremayne answered, "In some ways. But he still serves under me."

Melkior said, "Yes, you have nothing to fear as long as you remain loyal to the Empire."

Alexia continued, "Okay, cause I heard what you did to Raisen."

Melkior responded, "Tremayne, you didn't...?"

Tremayne folded his hands together. "Raisen needed to be taught a lesson. I was doing my duty so that she might do hers. Melkior, Alexia here was once a Jedi youngling until she was taught the true way. She has moments where she struggles with the truth but she still remembers who holds her reins, don't you, Alexia?"

Alexia frowned. "Yes, sir."

Armand Isard, the Emperor's security advisor, and his young daughter, Ysanne, a girl with brunette hair and a streak of white hair, entered the room. A dark-haired girl ran in behind them, out of breath.

Armand spoke, "Sorry I'm late, Tremayne. I was dealing with my daughter's education. I hope it is alright if she might join us."

Tremayne frowned at the sight of Ysanne Isard. He knew that this mere child had the ear of the Emperor himself. Yet he could say nothing against this if he wished to keep his position.

"That's alright. We may need her present for right now."

Ysanne spoke. "I heard you had to discipline Raisen, Tremayne. I hope that, whatever she did, it was serious enough to merit that. I would rather you consult my father and me on such matters."

"You forget, Ysanne, that Raisen was my pupil before she was gifted to you and your father. You should trust my judgment."

Ysanne gave him a cold look with her peculiar eyes: one red, one blue.

A hologram of Sate Pestage appeared by the table. "Greetings, I am here representing his majesty, the Emperor.Tremayne, you called this meeting. I trust it is important."

Tremayne stood up. "Indeed it is, Pestage. Fellow Imperials, we have an anomaly. A rogue agent. The sleeper cell, Shiro, has become active again. He had disappeared for three years after the Sith Reaver project. He has murdered Imperial officials at a base on Ord Mantell. It appears that the Jedi menace has reared its head again."

"How could this have happened?" Armand asked.

"I'll tell you how, father!" Ysanne interjected. "It's all Tremayne's fault. He was responsible for keeping track of sleeper cells such as Shiro and he fracked it up!" Ysanne smirked. She was in her element now.

"That's right, Tremayne," she continued. "Father and I know all about your debacle on Thule. You were specifically assigned by the Emperor to use Shiro to revive that weapon and instead you let him blow it up. Plus, you let many of your best men get killed. You should've silenced Shiro permanently when he betrayed you. You should have hunted him down. I was only too happy to let the Emperor know how you failed him."

Tremayne took a deep breath. This spoiled brat was trying to make him look like a fool, and it was working. On the outside, Ysanne looked like a simple little girl. But the truth was there was nothing simple about her. She was twice as cold and calculating as her father. That was why the Emperor trusted her to come by and watch over the experimentation on the Younglings even at such a young age. There was nothing she liked more than to see beings suffer.

Tremayne collected himself and started again. "If you're finished ranting, Miss Isard, you'll be happy to know that I do intend to do something about this. I'm assembling a special team to go after Shiro. Now, I think the Emperor would agree that Shiro is too valuable a prize to simply be eliminated right off the bat. However, the programming doesn't have as strong a hold on him as it once did, so we can't just send a signal to call him back to us. If we can get him to rejoin us of his own free will then we will see to it that he stays with us forever. If that doesn't work, we must catch him, to prevent him from leaking out any of our secrets to the public. Finally, we will consider terminating him if those other options fail. But we can't just afford to lose such an asset. Surely the Emperor will understand that."

"You had better be careful, Tremayne," Ysanne said. "The Emperor may agree with your plan of trying to capture Shiro, for now. But the truth is Shiro will never rejoin the Empire of his own free will. Shiro has now become an unstoppable fighter, whose driving force and sole objective is revenge against the Empire. You and I both know that it is most likely futile to persuade him. Our only option is either trick him or kill him. And if you fail and more lives are wasted, mark my words; the Emperor will not be pleased. You had better be determined, Tremayne. We must all be determined if we are to stop Shiro. Shiro is a rogue element that must be somehow contained. We must seal his fate."

Armand spoke up, "But do we really need to spend all of our resources seeking out this one elusive, highly dangerous boy? I mean, what makes him so essential?"

Tremayne frowned. "Don't underestimate Shiro. Shiro has access to vital Imperial information thanks to his programming. If he reveals the Empire's hidden policies and projects, the public will turn against us. Shiro is a threat to all of the Empire. He must be silenced before he exposes us."

Though she was afraid, Raisen spoke up, "What does this mean? That Shiro is an enemy of the Empire? What will happen if Shiro is caught?"

Pestage said, "Shiro was programmed to assassinate Imperial enemies and help Dark Sider activities. If he continues his efforts against us and doesn't surrender himself and accept the Dark Side, he will be considered an enemy. He will join us or die. If he rejoins us or is captured, then naturally his brain will have to be wiped, in order to fix his programming. Then I guess we will start over again. However, it is most likely his brain will be too damaged already. Then we must consult the Emperor on the best course of action."

Tremayne eyed Raisen and motioned toward her, "I have assigned Armand's servant, Raisen, to hunt down Shiro. Melkior here will watch over her and Shiro and step in if anything goes awry."

Melkior said, "I promise nothing will go wrong."

Raisen and Alexia secretly whispered, "No!"

Tremayne continued, unaware, "Raisen's mission coincides with Alexia's mission to assassinate Senator Mox Hero. So, Melkior, keep an eye on her, too. Shiro may be looking for her since she shares his programming."

"Raisen, if you encounter Shiro, have a cover story," Ysanne commanded. "Say you are an envoy from Senator Evander Osma of Wayland."

Raisen spoke as she was expected to. "Yes, my lady."

"Senator Osma has supposedly taken an interest in protecting Jedi. He shall soon be assassinated for this. So says the Emperor."

"Shiro is to be considered very dangerous," Tremayne said. "He has been infused with great power as part of his experimentation. He has also been taught by Mulann Fennix. I fought with Shiro on Thule and he was surprisingly powerful. Be cautious and ready for powerful outbursts."

Alexia half-heartedly said, "Of course."

"Shiro has become insane because his programming has gone awry. He says all kinds of random things. He will snap at a moment's notice. He's very unpredictable."

Upon a sudden bold impulse, Raisen chuckled, "Sounds like Alexia here sometimes."

Alexia frowned at Raisen. "Oh, just because I went crazy that one night don't mean jack squat, Raisen!"

Tremayne didn't laugh and looked at Alexia. "Yes, which is what worries me. Are we going to stay calm and receptive, Alexia? I won't have to send another interrogator droid?"

Alexia took a deep breath. "Yes sir."

Tremayne finished, "Remember, all of you, Shiro is wary of Imperials, so have a cover story. His friends are Amelie Starkiller and Mulann Fennix, so say that you know them. If that's all, I think we can go. I know you have things to do. I will contact all of you as soon as I know more of Shiro's position. Melkior and Raisen, notify me as soon as you make contact with Shiro."

The participants of the meeting moved out of the room, one by one. Alexia and Raisen looked at each other meaningfully. They had never expected to be assigned this mission. And now despite their misgivings, they had no choice. They were bound by their programming. They did not want to harm the innocent but they would do as they were told. They both lowered their heads. They had long ago lost any hope of freedom. They respected Shiro for his stand against the Empire and they hoped that somehow he could show them the way to their own freedom, but their hope was little in the face of the odds against it.

Ysanne Isard smiled wickedly. She had plans of her own. Plans to prove her true worth to her father and the Emperor. She had been selected as part of the original team that experimented upon Shiro and the younglings. She would show the Emperor that she was truly worthy of such tasks and of many more honors.

Tremayne sat alone in the room. He wondered how this simple child could have bested him before and he vowed that he would do everything to correct his previous errors. He vowed to show his true worth as an unstoppable inquisitor of the Empire. Here was this mere boy who stood against everything he had come to accept as part of joining the Dark Side. He would make Shiro fulfill his purpose or he would lead Shiro to his doom. This time would be different.

The young woman moved easily through the busy streets, monitoring her surroundings as she made her way to her destination. _Jkatha_, _I hate working on these backwater worlds,_ she thought to herself. This was the biggest gathering of souls on this miserable little planet called Wayland, a planet that seemed to consist of mostly dense jungles. And to call this pitiful backwater a city would be a joke. Most of the buildings looked like shanties; many of the roads were no more than packed dirt. Only the center of town, where the governmental buildings were, had any semblance of civilization. But that was not her goal.

She noticed up ahead the establishment that she had been seeking. The tattered sign above the faded door pronounced it as _The Mancor Vine_. A terrible-looking vine, which included several mouths ringed with razor-sharp teeth, was painted on the sign. She shivered, and hoped that the vine was a figment of the artist's imagination and not in fact a true representation of the local flora.

She stepped into the tavern, and warily looked around. There were few customers here at that time of day, and it was easy to pick out her mark. As promised, it was a young man, probably in his mid-twenties, not unlike her. The man appeared a little travel-worn, like a man who had seen too much in his life. But he had a look of strength, and she noticed that the other clientele of the tavern, as well as the tavern keeper, seemed to respect and even feared the man to a degree. She smiled. _This man is used to eliciting fear from others?_ _Let us just see what he thinks of me._

As she neared the corner booth at which the man sat, she noticed the news holo on above the bar.

"The attack on Ord Mantell is one that no one could prepare for, or prevent. It seems like the Jedi are still in our midst and are still a danger to…"

She passed out of hearing distance before the report can continue further. It was of little interest to her. Right now, she had a job.

She slowly approached the table, where the young man was sitting. When she was within easy hearing distance, she spoke the code phrase, "You can have me but cannot hold me, gain me and quickly lose me. If treated with care I can be great, and if betrayed I will break. What am I?"

The young man smiled and simply answered, "Trust."

She looked the man up and down and stated, "Then you are the one that I have come to meet with. How interesting. Regardless, I am Alanna Sitara, the bounty hunter that you contacted."

The man rose and introduced himself. "I am Marik Horn, and I am in the employ of the senator of this planet. He is the one that will be providing the monetary compensation for you. I will be the contact between you and the senator."

Alanna nodded. She did not expect to deal with the senator directly. Inwardly she shrugged. As long as she was paid, she cared not who was her contact. "I understand." She sat at the table. "Now tell me, what kind of job is it that you intend to hire me for?"

Marik gave the woman a measuring look. Her blonde hair was pulled back and fastened with pins. _I bet those pins are in fact a form of weapon_, he thought to himself. She was tall, but not as much as him. Her deep crimson red clothing was fitted against her muscular frame, which implied that she could hold her own in a fight. _She is definitely everything that her references had claimed, and more. For instance, none had mentioned how her blue eyes sparkle like stars…_ He shook his head minutely to clear it. _It is time to get to the business at hand; I have no time to be distracted!_

He took a deep, steadying breath as he prepared to weave his web of half-truths. "The senator wishes to hire you to protect someone. This person is of great import to the senator, and there are many that would wish him to come to harm. Are you interested?"

Alanna sat back, contemplating the offer. It seemed straightforward enough; despite the fact that Horn seemed a little too anxious while he waited for her response. A simple bodyguard position, similar to ones she had filled before. This job, however, was offering a bigger reward than any job that had previously come her way. _Who is this person that the senator is willing to pay this dearly for his safety? What kind of trouble could he have gotten into, and with whom? No matter._ Alanna looked Horn straight in the eye and stated simply, "Give me the details."

Marik smiled a little and rose. "Please follow me to more…private climes, m'lady." He walked towards the back of the tavern, where it was possible to rent private dining areas. He looked over his shoulder to ensure that Alanna was following as he ducked into the farthest private room, the one closest to the back entrance.

The room was dark, and Alanna walked in, all of her senses on high alert. _Why does it feel like I am being set up?_ As she struggled to see in the darkness, the door mysteriously closed behind her. A light suddenly flared in the middle of the room and Alanna was forced to shield her eyes. She reached for her blaster and aimed it for Horn's last location. "You can put that weapon down," said Marik, in an odd tone of voice that tugged at her mind. Without thinking, she immediately lowered her weapon like he told her to.

Her eyes adjusted to the light in the room, and she saw that she and Horn were the only ones in the room. He had lit the lantern in the center of the table, which was the source of the light. Though still on guard, she placed her blaster back in the holster loosely. "What is with this trickery?" she demanded.

Marik sighed a little. This was not going completely as planned. He didn't think she would be this jumpy. And while he had not expected the Jedi mind trick to work on her, he had thought that she might be persuaded to calm down.

He looked at her apologetically. "A thousand pardons m'lady. T'was never my intent to startle you. Please, take a seat." With that he gave the chair nearest to her a tiny push with the Force. It moved a few inches away from the table.

Alanna jumped back in panic. "Jkatha! That chair just moved! What is going on here? What are you?" Her breath came in shallow gasps as she fought to find reason in this situation. Suddenly it dawned on her, and she calmed. "You are a Jedi, aren't you?"she breathed in the barest whisper.

Marik nodded. "Yes, I am Marik Horn, Jedi Knight. And I am asking you for your help to save one that is very near and dear to me from the Empire. You have a reputation as one of the best bodyguards that can be hired for an indeterminable length of time. I beg you, m'lady, please help me protect Shiro." He withdrew a small disc and activated it, showing her a hologram image of the subject.

Alanna's eyes grew wide with shock when she heard first Horn's admission of his true identity and then the identity of the mark. She had seen the news holos over the past few hours. This Shiro had attacked and wiped out an Imperial Base on Ord Mantell, single handedly. This was the one she was to protect?

Marik chuckled, low enough that the woman could not hear it. "I see that you have heard of my friend. Yes, he is the one that attacked that base and wiped it out. All of the Empire's resources will be bent on retrieving him, and more. There will be many other bounty hunters looking for Shiro, as well as Imperial agents. Are you up to the challenge?"

Alanna's eyes burned with anger. _Who is he to insinuate that I cannot do this?_ She looked at him with disdain. "The better question is, when I do this, will you have the credits that you promised me?"

Marik smiled. This was going even better than he had anticipated. "You will be paid, bounty hunter. Just complete the job. Find him and bring him here." He handed her a disc. "This disc contains the coordinates for the meeting when you find Shiro, and a communication link that you can use to contact me. This way I will be able to take him from your care when the time comes."

Alanna took the disc from him. "I would ask you for his last known location, but it seems like the entire galaxy has to know by now. So instead, I will ask how he will know that I come to help him and not to turn him in for his ridiculously large bounty."

Marik reached into a hidden pocket of his shirt. He pulled two items from it, one a holo disc and the other a strange coin of some sort. "Take these. Shiro will know what the coin is, and it is safer that you do not. It will tell him that I sent you to him. He knows me, even though he might think me dead." Under his breath he muttered, "For I thought all these long years that such was his fate…The other is a holo disc, in which I will explain the situation to Shiro. Show it to him only after he has received the coin and agrees to your assistance. He will understand then why I cannot risk coming for him myself." Marik's face grew dark, hiding some deep pain inside.

Alanna took the disc and the coin from Horn. "So was this your plan all along? Get me hooked into the job by portraying him as helpless before revealing the truth? That the mark is in truth a mass-murderer, that you are a wanted fugitive, and that this entire mess could end up with me having a bounty on my head as well?"

Marik looked at her skeptically. "Does that mean you don't want the job?"

"On the contrary, it means that I accept. I could never back down from a challenge. Besides, there is no love lost between the Empire and myself. And I have much respect for all that the Jedi were, and can be again." Alanna smiled, sympathetically.

Marik held out his hand. "Good, then we have a bargain. I wish you the best of luck, Ms. Sitara. I fear it shall take all of your skills to complete this job successfully. I am depending on you to bring back my lost brother."

Alanna took his hand to complete the bargain. "If it is within my power, I swear to you that I will bring him safely to you. You can trust in that." With that, Alanna walked out the door and back out into the busy streets of the town to make her way back to the _Levana_, her ship. She had a mission to complete and the sooner started the sooner paid.

Marik watched her leave, the lines on his face deepening slightly. "That is what I am counting on…"

Amelie Stryker stood on the staircase in the club on Ord Mantell. Purple and green lights flashed on and off all around her. Loud techno dance music blared through the speakers across from her. Her long dark brown hair was encircled by her trademark headband. She was now wearing her best purple suit with green glasses perched on the tip of her nose. She didn't want to be recognized and so she had dressed nice. She was not usually known for wearing the most stylish clothes, rather the exact opposite. But that was part of the life she had chosen as a smuggler living amongst the dregs of the galaxy.

She surveyed the crowd. _Where is he?_,she wondered. He told her he would meet her here. She was nervous to say the least. She was now wanted by the Empire for her previous actions on Thule. The Empire's presence was still gathering at that time. Now it was everywhere. And thanks to Shiro's actions the Empire would be keeping an extra special watch on Ord Mantell in the next few months. Since her heroics on Thule, She and her husband Frell had retreated to the good old Outer Rim, doing odd jobs for people who had not heard of her or had thought she was dead. She should have died many times in her life. Why she was still alive was a mystery to her.

Her husband, Frell, a silent, athletic man with a keen awareness of situations but more good sense than Amelie to know how to avoid dangerous conflicts if possible, waved her down to the bar table. She smiled and went toward him.

"Feels good to be out," she said and sat down beside him.

Frell noticed that she was tense and ordered a light brew for her. "Come on. You are going to relax if it's the last thing you do."

Scrapa, the bartender, looked up from mixing his drinks. "What the…? Amelie? Amelie, is that you? Amelie Starkiller! What are you doing here? I'd be careful if I were you. The Empire has gotten more soldiers on this planet recently."

Amelie put her finger to her lips and whispered. "Keep it down, Scrapa! I don't want any Imperial entanglements. Anything going on here that I should be wary of?"

"There's been a raid on the Imperial Base here. Something about a kid with a lightsaber."

"Yeah. I'm aware of that."

Amelie talked with Scrapa, unaware that she was being watched by a figure in the crowd. He was wearing a helmet and a jet pack and had an extendable double-edged vibroblade sword on his back. He moved rather unsteadily underneath his dark grey garments, which hid a secret. Drakk Menace was a cyborg. He had been injured severely by Amelie in a blaster fight once in the past. At first he had accepted the cybernetic implants for health and safety but after a while, his desire for greater strength made him continue to take on more and more improvements. His hands and feet were crafted into claw-like shapes and his eyes were enhanced for better sight. His chest was covered with armor plating. When Menace walked it sounded like small gears turning.

Drakk Menace had encountered Amelie many times before this. He had known her as a smuggler before the Clone Wars when he was a Black Sun operative, serving under Vigo Kralla. Vigo Kralla had found Menace on the streets and took him into his service. Amelie ended up murdering Kralla during the Clone Wars. Menace had never forgotten this and was still looking for a way to pay Amelie back for killing his employer and mentor. He had a feeling he would soon have a chance.

The Imperial operative Raisen had been dancing vigorously on the floor to the techno tunes. She saw Frell Stryker and recognized him from the holonet. She smiled and walked up to the bar table, tossing her hair. She sat down next to Frell and winked at him. Frell felt uneasy.

"Hey barkeep," She said to Scrapa. "Give me a Juma and keep 'em coming."

Stealthily, a hooded figure crept up to Amelie and tapped her on the shoulder. "There's a message for you from Kreepa. He says he needs to see you alone."

Amelie looked at Frell and said jokingly, "I'll be right back, honey. Try not to get into trouble while I'm gone." She followed the figure into the crowd.

Raisen saw her leave. She took a big drink of her beverage and looked Frell up and down. She noticed a tattoo of an elephantine skull on his muscular arm. "So, you're a Mandalorian, huh?"

Frell was startled by the question. _Who is this girl?_ "Uh, yes," he said. "But that was a long time ago."

The figure led Amelie to a darkened corner. Amelie folded her arms, impatiently. "So, what's up? Got any dirt?"

The figure removed his cloak. After a moment, Amelie recognized Shiro. He certainly knew how to blend in. Under his cloak he was dressed in Ord Mantell street gang attire. He wore dirty and worn apparel of orange and black, fingerless gloves, an odd cap, and goggles on his eyes that mechanically enhanced his sight. Amelie thought the clothes suited him well and smiled at her old friend.

"Shiro, I was so worried."

"Amelie, the people dance, we can talk. Did you bring the stuff?"

"Of course." She handed Shiro a bottle of Corellian ale. "You don't know what I went through to get that."

Shiro rolled his eyes. "Amelie! No! I mean the weapons!"

"Oh! That I had a little more trouble with. But, yeah, I got 'em back at the ship."

"The assassin will be here any day and the senator will be well guarded. We need to get to Senator Hero before the assassin does."

Amelie looked away. She had a feeling she was being watched. Shiro followed her glance. "Who else knows?" he said.

"Frell."

"Ame, eyes are watching you. Are you sure you weren't tracked by any bounty hunters?"

"I…I don't know."

Shiro's eyes suddenly went wide. He sensed two presences he knew shouldn't be there.

"Amelie, you've got a shadow. We have to leave soon. I'll meet you at the Mud Puddle Inn. I paid off the people there. We should be safe."

"Shiro, it's too dangerous for you."

"It's more dangerous without any weapons. I have a plan. Go back and get the supplies. Take your landspeeder and meet me later. I'll be alright. You know me."

"Alright, Shiro. I hope you know what you're doing."

"Me too."

Amelie cautiously moved back towards Frell. Shiro watched her leave then slipped out. He knew Menace was following him. He wasn't sure he could lose him but he knew that if Menace tried anything, he would regret it. Shiro was a whirlwind waiting to happen.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 2_

Alanna walked into the lobby of the degraded-looking Mud Puddle hotel. She had her blaster at the ready. She knew this could be a trap. Luckily, she had worked with Kreepa before and he was always a dependable contact. She ignored the other businesses he was involved with, black market thievery and slavery among them, and he provided her with information that was almost always accurate and promised not to stab her in the back. This time felt different though. Shiro was a dangerous criminal and the Empire would stop at nothing to get their hands on one such as him. She knew personally how much the Empire loved to deal harshly with Jedi and those who protect them.

Kreepa, the Dug, sat in his booth at the far end of the room, a personal bodyguard at his side. There were few customers in the lobby but still he couldn't be too careful. He motioned her over to him.

"Welcome, Alanna Sitara, to Ord Mantell. Not the cleanest part of the galaxy but then I hear you don't mind a little dirt on you. Drink?"

Alanna sat down. "No, thank you. And do not bring up ancient history, Kreepa. It is unbecoming."

Kreepa smiled wickedly. He was not the kindest barve in the galaxy. "I must say I found your request for information on a Jedi interesting. I thought you had sworn off Jedi since that debacle on Coruscant. Old habits die hard?"

Alanna raised an eyebrow and curled her lips in disgust. "You know very well that I don't take that kind of job anymore. My inquiry serves a different purpose this time."

"Right, right. Well, whatever your interests, I expect to be payed for my information."

Alanna slid the credits across the table under her hand. She lowered her voice to the barest whisper. "So what information do you have for me?"

Kreepa greedily grabbed the credits and stashed them away. "The target you are looking for is being hunted by a bounty hunter from the Black Sun named Drakk Menace. There is also an Imperial agent on your tail and a smuggler named Amelie Starkiller. Be careful. This target is very dangerous. As you may already know, he raided the Imperial base here. He's in room 6-J in this hotel."

Alanna turned her head and muttered a curse. "I thought I would have more time."

"Better hurry. That bounty hunter could be here any minute."

She rose and cast an eye about the place. "As always, it has been a dubious pleasure working with you, Kreepa."

"Always good doing business with you. Good luck on this one. You will need it."

She walked to the rear of the establishment, where the rooms were located. Walking up the stairs, he reached the hallway and pulled out her blaster, set to stun. She moved silently down the hall and approached room 6-J. She tried the door. It was locked.

She muttered softly, "Damn." She formulated a plan to open it.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind the door. "Trouble behind door. Once in, no way out, Bounty Hunter."

Alanna was taken aback a little. But her resolve remained. She gathered herself and replied, "I like trouble, and I care not if there is no way out."

There was a pause. Then the voice continued, "I sense you carry a guilty secret. Answer truthfully, what does a thief and murderer lack?"

Alanna thought for a moment. "Honor."

"Good. Do you have any honor, Bounty Hunter?"

Alanna was caught off guard. _Who is this person? Does he know about my past? Who is he to ask these personal questions?_ She sighed deeply. "I lost it once. I hope that one day I shall find it again."

There was another pause. "I sense truth in you. You may enter. But you may not be safe."

The door opened immediately. Taking this odd invitation, Alanna shivered a little and stepped into the darkened room.

She waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, holding her blaster in a position that looked deceptively relaxed. Her eyes searched for a figure in the room but the room appeared empty.

The mysterious voice once again issued from an invisible source in the dark. "I suggest we begin with a modicum of trust, Hunter. Let's put down our weapons. You do want us to trust each other, don't you?"

Alanna slowly moved her weapon back to its holster. "Yes..." _Especially since, right now, the advantage is his._

"I have disabled my lightsaber, hunter. Let's talk. What is her mission?"

Alanna peered into the dark, hoping for a glimpse of her mysterious host.

"What is your mission? I can tell if you're lying."

"My mission is to protect the one that they call Shiro. I was sent by a friend."

"Interesting. Protection. Most want to catch Shiro or kill him. This will be a dangerous mission, hunter. Are you prepared for the danger?"

This time, Alanna spoke confidently. "Yes, I am prepared. Of all that I have protected, only two have met with an early end. I am used to danger." She wondered why she still could not see the figure despite the fact that her eyes had had plenty of time to adjust to the dark.

Then suddenly the figure appeared before her in a dark corner of the room, illuminated by the blue blade of a lightsaber. It was a youth of almost seventeen. "Wonder no more, Hunter. I was using a cloaking power. It's a little known Force power that hides one from view. Does she have a name?"

Alanna relaxed a little. "Are you the one they call Shiro? I am Alanna Sitara."

"…I am Shiro."

Alanna was surprised a little by the fact that he was still obviously just a teenager. She said, "Then I am here to protect you."

Shiro looked her up and down. He deactivated his lightsaber, restoring darkness to the room. "I sense I can trust you, Alanna," he said. "I am glad to have your protection but I wonder if you are truly prepared for the trouble. The Empire is after me, as is the Black Sun. And I intend to cause more trouble. In a few days I am going to follow Senator Mox Hero of Ord Mantell. The Empire has sent an assassin after him. I intend to engage this assassin."

Alanna nodded slightly. "From what I've heard of you, I would expect no less of you. He said that you always liked to stir things up."

"He? Your employer. Tell me of him. Go ahead, Alanna. I'm not going to eat you."

"My employer, like I said, is an old friend of yours. He thought you were dead in the attack at the Temple. When he heard you were alive, he hired the best protection that money can buy: me. His name is...Jedi Knight Marik Horn."

Shiro's eyes went wide. "Marik! He's alive!"

Alanna reached into her pocket and pulled out the small disc Marik had given her. "I think that this will prove the truth of my words."

Suddenly, Shiro fell on his knees and started shaking all over, breathing heavily. "Blasters ready, war unsteady! No cease fire, no true pyre!" It was another of his mad outbursts, with strange dialogue that hid dark secrets of the past, present and future.

Alanna gasped in surprise as she watched the boy convulsing.

"No end to attack, they might come back!" he screamed.

Before she knew what she was doing, Alanna knelt beside Shiro. "Breathe, relax."

Seeming to ignore her, Shiro continued speaking erratically. "Don't you think I'm trying? Have to cut it out. It's in all the walls. What you need is help. Unfortunately you've got me. To the end and back! Too much deep inside me!"

Alanna grasped Shiro's shoulder in an effort to steady him.

"Tried to find missing piece. Dreams of killing. The spark."

She pressed the disc into Shiro's hand, hoping that would snap him out of it.

Shiro grasped her arm firmly. He turned and looked her straight in the eye. "It's not enough. You can't just watch, you have to see." Then Shiro suddenly went still. His breathing slowed and he became calm again. He picked himself up. "Sorry. I do that."

Alanna took a breath. "Are you a screw-loose or something?"

Shiro grinned bitterly. "Or something."

Alanna nodded and shrugged. "Well, Shit happens, I guess."

Shiro smirked. "Yes... Sith happens." He tapped his head with his finger.

Alanna wondered what he meant by that. "Is there anything that I can do to help when it occurs?"

"More about that later. First, I must establish if you are to tag along for the ride."

Alanna cocked her head quizzically. "Come again?"

"I told you I'm gonna cause more trouble. Instead of hiding, I raided an Imperial base. I'm looking for the cure. What I need to know is, are you gonna tell on me, get out of the way or tag along."

Puzzled by the question, Alanna shrugged nonchalantly. "If I was afraid of trouble, I would have run when I found out that my employer was a Jedi. You might want to take a look at that." She gestured toward his hand still holding the disc.

"Oh, yes." Shiro pocketed the disc without glancing at it. "When I have more time."

"To answer your question, I'm going to help you as much as I can, and get out of the way when I am a liability. It is what I've been paid to do. I would never tell on you. I don't work for the Empire. Never again."

"I trust what you say because I have abilities to see into your mind. But we have trouble. There is someone coming. Someone dangerous. Is your ship near?"

"Yes, it is in port here. And she's fast."

"Good to know. We'll need to head for the ship." Shiro's eyes suddenly went wide. "He's here!"

Alanna was startled by the sound of blasterfire downstairs. Shiro announced, "The innkeeper is dead. He's downstairs. Be careful. He has weapons."

Alanna took out her blaster and set it to kill. "Is there a back door?" She positioned herself between Shiro and the door.

"No, but there is that." Shiro pointed to the window." If we jump I can steady us with my power, but I cannot guarantee he will not see us."

Alanna looked out the window and recalled that they were on the sixth floor. She took a deep breath. "Just great!" She raised her wrist to speak into a device on her arm. "Begin launch procedure." She turned to Shiro. "Then out the window we go."

Alanna opened the window. "Okay, we'll jump together. Are you ready, Shiro? My swoop bike is just under the window and my ship is readying for launch."

"Yes. I'm ready." Shiro took Alanna's hand and together they jumped out the window.

Alanna felt the wind rushing by her but suddenly she was lowered steadily until her feet gently landed on the ground. There was Alanna's swoop bike waiting for her. She pulled Shiro towards the bike, got on the bike and started it up.

"Get on!" she yelled.

Shiro moved toward the bike but hesitated with some nervousness. The sound of blaster fire came from the lobby and there was an explosion. Shiro cringed. He hopped on the bike just as the bounty hunter flew out the lobby window with a jetpack. Alanna recognized the figure from Holonet broadcasts as the infamous Drakk Menace. He fired a blaster at Alanna. Alanna fired back at him with her own blaster and then she and Shiro zoomed off on the bike.

Alanna careened down alleyways and across city streets, pursued by the fearless bounty hunter. Luckily, Alanna's swoop had a special setting that would navigate robotically while she steadied the craft with one hand and fired at the rocketeer with the other. For a moment, it seemed that they had lost the delinquent but he suddenly appeared again from another corner.

Then Alanna had an idea. "Shiro, steady us for a moment!"

Shiro shifted around Alanna and used the Force to steady the bike. Alanna turned completely around, grasped her blaster with both hands, aimed at the jetpack and fired. The blast made direct contact with the jetpack and Menace sped out of control. Menace fired a blast at the swoop bike's engine before crashing down an alleyway.

The bike began to slow. Alanna cursed colorfully as the bike came to a stop. "Looks like we're going to run it."

Shiro hopped off the bike. He looked back at the alley where Menace had crashed down. He heard Crow's voice saying, _"Be the predator! Take your prey!"_ Shiro looked back at Alanna.

"Shouldn't we go and make sure we kill the other hunter?"

Alanna was surprised. She was tempted to go through with it but she realized Shiro was requesting to kill an unconscious, injured man in cold blood. She had thought that a Jedi would never think of doing such a thing, no matter how practical. The important thing was to get Shiro away to the ship. She would worry about the hunter later when Shiro was safe.

She shook her head. "No. Right now he is off-course and most likely injured. It is safer to go to the ship and leave him here." She grabbed Shiro's hand. "Come on!" She began moving in the direction of the ship.

After a moment's hesitation, Shiro nodded and followed Alanna "You're right. I guess we run. Show me the way. I can keep up."

They came to the spaceport. They were almost inside when a light shone in their path and blocked their sight. An amplified voice from a helmet spoke to them. It was a Stormtrooper.

"Excuse me, miss. Inspection. What are you doing out so late at the port?"

_Now I'm cornered for sure_, Alanna thought. But she decided to bluff. "I'm sorry. I'm a bounty hunter and I just got a tip on a great bounty close by. Here is my license."

She took out her license, which of course was not up to date. "I was going to try to catch him before he got too far away." She pointed towards her ship. "See, mine is the ship already warming up. My crew is waiting for me."

The trooper flashed the light at Shiro. "And the boy?"

Alanna shrugged. "A slave. He travels with me for my pleasure."

The trooper paused. "Okay. You may go ahead. Just see that you watch yourself at night. Ord Mantell is not a safe place at night."

Alanna took back her license. "Thank you for the warning." She motioned to Shiro like one would to a slave. "Come on, boy. The ship is waiting on us."

Suddenly, Shiro shouted, "No end to attack! Don't come back!" He reached out his hand and Force pushed the trooper to the ground. The trooper cried out and went unconscious.

Down the road, another trooper called out, "Hey, what's going on over there?"

Alanna cursed, "J'katha!" and yelled, "Run!"

They both ran towards her ship. She reached the door and positioned herself to cover Shiro. Shiro ran into the ship and Alanna ran after him. Once inside, Alanna moved towards the bridge of the ship. She activated the controls. The ship took off as troopers fired.

As the ship gained altitude, Alanna turned to Shiro. "Shiro, we need to set a course to somewhere safe. Where do you wish to go?

"Head for the Brawl Canyon. We'll talk more once you get there."

Alanna sat in the pilot's chair and sighed deeply. _What have I gotten myself into?_

Tremayne sat in his office in anxious anticipation. A hologram of Raisen appeared before him on his desk. She looked drowsy and definitely not sober.

"I was wondering when you'd get around to your report. Have you found the boy yet?"

Raisen hiccupped, "Yeah. But he got away. A bounty hunter found him first...Do you know you're an ass?"

"What?"

Raisen hiccupped and blew a raspberry at Tremayne.

Tremayne gritted his teeth. "You're drunk?"

Raisen mock saluted. "And I intend to get drunker, sir!"

Tremayne slammed his fist upon his desk and cursed. "You had better be careful, Raisen! My patience is thin on this matter. Keep focused on your mission. Seek him out! Find him and this bounty hunter."

"We have a bigger problem. Starkiller is alive."

"I thought as much."

"Treymane, I'm worried. She has this big bodyguard of a Mandalorian named Frell."

"I remember. That barve wounded me on Thule... I'm going to come personally."

"N-no Sir, don't worry. I have a feeling I can crack this cookie."

"Are you truly confident?"

"Well, Mando's are a proud race…"

"If you fail me, you will regret it, Raisen. My advice: follow Starkiller. Wherever she is, Shiro will be. And once you find Shiro, use your persuasion to bring him to me. Anything else?"

"Any information on a Drakk Menace?"

"An operative of the Black Sun. He has a long history with Amelie Starkiller as a nemesis. He's always wanted a crack at her. He's tried to kill her for years. If he's on the hunt for Shiro, be careful not to get in his way. But you make sure he doesn't get to Shiro before us. If he does, he'll drag him off to the Black Sun and they will try to use him as an assassin for their benefit."

"Frack! I heard he's half machine, like another Grievous. Look, isn't there some way we can get him to compromise? Maybe persuade him and the Black Sun to lay off the case?"

Tremayne suddenly had an idea. "Hmm. Doubtful. The Black Sun is relentless but I do think Menace and his fellow agents might be willing to make some kind of deal. I could convince them to assist us for a fee. Yes, we could work together. Thank you, Raisen. Good thinking. You may yet prove your worth to us on this mission. But if you don't, Melkior will be watching."

Raisen gulped.

"You have your orders, Raisen."

Tremayne's hologram faded out. Raisen began to think deeply. She thought about what the Empire would do to Shiro. _I can't let that happen to my friend. Even though the Empire will punish me, I can't just send him to the lions._ _But what can I do? Wait…If Shiro attacked that base, he must have had a reason for doing it. It couldn't just be revenge. He planned to find out how to disable the programming. That's it! Maybe he can fix me! Give me my freedom! It's worth a shot! I'll go to him. But not to turn him in. I'll go to help him. He would do the same for me. Maybe Shiro holds the one chance to save me and the other younglings. I must try. I can't let them win. They've won too much already._

Shiro spoke to Amelie over his comlink. She and Frell were headed for his position.

"We're in the Brawl Canyon, Ame."

"Are you okay, Shiro? Has she hurt you?"

"Not yet. Just hurry."

"I'm on my way…Shiro, I have to ask, why the heck did you raid that Imperial Base? Are you trying to get caught?"

"… It's about time to start some action and anyways I have a plan. I'm trying to find the cure."

"What cure? Shiro, come on talk. I have no time for Jedi riddle-speak."

"Wrong in brain, too much pain. I've found the code to disabling the programming for the Younglings. It will only work for some. Not all. I haven't found the right code for me yet. And they have to be nearby for the signal to work. But this isn't the final step. There's only one way to be sure. We have to find the source of the computer programming. But I haven't found out who knows where it is yet. But when I do…some changes are yet to be made."

"Just be careful, Shiro. Frell told me about this girl. I think you're being hunted by an Imperial agent, named Raisen."

"You know about Raisen? She's like me. She needs help but she's freer in her mind than the others."

"So she was one of the Younglings? Shiro, what happened to her that night? Do you know?"

There was a pause. "Yeah. I saved the files I hacked into at the base to a disc. It told me what happened to her. She ran away from the troopers and fell in a pile of dead Jedi bodies. The guards came back later and almost burned her with the other bodies. They found her and, on the order of Darth Vader, took her to the lab. What's worse is Tremayne got a hold of her. Tremayne: dark in power, kills by the hour."

"Shiro, why'd you leave Mulann?"

"Have you spoken to her?"

"Maybe."

"...I couldn't let her get hurt. I wanted to cause some trouble and I didn't want her in it. She wouldn't understand. Besides, I'm strong. I can take care of myself if I need to. You're not gonna tell her, are you?"

"Yeah, I am…"

"Ame!"

"Shiro, she is a good friend. I have to tell her something. I owe it to her."

"But why, Ame? You know she'll freak! What if she comes and gets hurt?"

"She can take care of herself, Shiro. She and I have been through some pretty rough spots together. You need to trust her, Shiro. She is your teacher."

Shiro sighed. "Alright, tell her. But don't tell her yet. I'm not ready yet. I need time. Time to get my mind right. Thanks for coming though. It's nice to have friends in this cruel galaxy. Friends are all I have."

"Yeah well, you and Frell and Mulann are all I... Shiro, you'll have company!"

"What?"

"Someone bugged my swoop. If I know anything, we've got a tracker."

"Who do you think it is?"

"I'm not sure. It could be that assassin I heard about on the net."

"What's her name?"

"Word on the street is her name is Alexia."

"Wait. Alexia? ...Two by two, blade of blue. Ame! She was one of the Younglings!"

"Looks like we've got trouble."

"So what else is new?"


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 3_

Alanna sat facing the main board of her ship, the _Levana_. She was trying to plan out her next course of action. After what happened in the spaceport, she didn't know what to think. There seemed to be more to this kid than she had originally assumed. He seemed like an accident waiting to happen. And here she was, locked to his side as a bodyguard. Well, she had figured this job wouldn't be a piece of cake. With her, nothing ever was.

She turned to Shiro, who sat in a chair opposite her, staring out the window at the night sky. "Well, is there somewhere safe we can go, or would you rather stay aboard the ship?

Shiro didn't answer. He continued to stare out the window next to him at the cold night sky.

Alanna sighed and turned away, "Fair enough."

Then Shiro spoke. "The more you have of it, the less you see."

"What?"

"Darkness."

"What's up, kid? Why did you blow our cover?"

"No end to attack, they will come back."

Alanna sighed again in frustration. "What does that mean?"

Shiro didn't look at her. He spoke as if to the open air. "True beginning. More will follow... They killed them. They killed them all! And nobody... NOBODY CARED!" He shuddered and started crying softly.

Alanna watched and listened, aghast. She didn't know what to make of this kid. When Marik hired her as a protector, he hadn't said anything about protecting the mentally unstable. Something had obviously happened to this kid to make him like this. Somebody had done something to him. He had experienced something terrible. Was it just the Jedi Purge or something more? She immediately felt sorry for him. This kid had lost all his friends and was now hunted by a merciless Empire. She respected the Jedi way and she felt that she now gazed upon a broken remnant of a once noble people, cruelly cut down.

After a while, she went up to Shiro and rubbed his shoulder, hoping to calm him.

"Hey," she said. "Hey, it's okay. Calm down." She fought the urge to hug him. She realized she was being unprofessional. _I can't let feelings get in the way of my job. Not yet anyway._

The boy stopped crying and became aware of her. He steadied himself and took a deep breath. "Perhaps I should explain myself."

Alanna nodded seriously but patiently. "Yes, please do."

Shiro turned to face her directly. "I already know your secret, Alanna. You killed some people who didn't really deserve it. That's why you feel guilt."

Alanna gasped in surprise. She hung her head in shame at this bold retelling of her crime.

"Now I will tell you my secret," he said. "You protected me. For now, I will trust you. I was one of the Younglings at the Jedi Temple. I had just turned thirteen at the time of Order 66. I have trouble remembering my life before four years ago because of what happened the night of the Temple Massacre. I was in the Temple that night like all the Younglings who did not yet have Masters. I survived the massacre and watched my fellow peers killed in front of me."

Alanna cringed. Shiro continued, "But that wasn't the worst of it. Something stopped the Clones from killing me. And then a hooded figure came out of the dark and moved his hand and I went unconscious, but not before I had seen some of my friends murdered. I was taken and experimented upon by the Empire's agents. They wanted to make me into a weapon. A sleeper cell to be activated to perform duties for them, including murder. But my programming went awry. Something went wrong during the experimentation and it left me with a problem inside." He tapped on his head, inferring. "I was able to escape and join a smuggling crew onboard the _Starry Ice_. It was there I met Mulann Fennix who became my new teacher and who would help me try to fight the madness and the programming."

Alanna looked at Shiro with sympathy in her eyes.

"Fighting the programming was difficult because it gave me greater power and knowledge. They had infused me with greater power so they could use me. But Mulann did her best. For 3 years, I studied under her. Then, a month ago, I decided to leave her and to root out the programming at its source. I found out that my programming could be shut off by disabling computer systems on certain key worlds. So I raided the Imperial Base on Ord Mantell, mercilessly. I killed every Imperial I could find there. You see, I wanted them to feel pain for what happened to me and my friends. It's not the Jedi way, I know. But still...part of me wanted it. Anyways, ever since that I've been hiding out on Ord Mantell. And then I met you at the Mud Puddle."

Alanna thought for a moment. "So that is why you were compelled to attack the Imperial Guard."

Shiro nodded. "More or less. I have moments where I lose judgment and go overboard. I do irrational things. Act out of anger. It's been hard trying to control myself but Mulann helped me for a while. But now that I've left her...my mind has been acting up again. I left her because I had a mission I wanted to take care of. I didn't want her getting hurt. Whoever stays around me gets hurt. You may have already noticed that everybody is after me."

Alanna sighed heavily. "I know how you feel. My parents were killed by Mandalorians. If the Mandalorians were not already dead, my feelings for revenge would be overwhelming. And I have noticed that many are chasing you. That is why Marik hired me."

Shiro stopped and thought about Marik, the brother he had lost so long ago. "How did Marik find out about me? A holo-news report? A rumor?"

Alanna ran her hand through her hair. "Rumors, mostly. Rumors have been floating about you for a while. He actually contacted me just prior to your attack on Ord Mantell. I arrived at our rendezvous as the holo-news reports broke out."

"Why are you helping Marik and me?"

"I could tell you it is for the money. And partly it is that. The other part is more personal. It was the Jedi that killed the Mandalorians. I feel like I owe you guys for that. By the way, I am considered to be one of the best short-term bodyguards for hire." She stopped for a moment and swept her hands grandly to showcase her ship. "And be you welcomed to the_Levana_."

Shiro looked around at the ship interior. "Not bad." He chuckled a little. "And you are also subversive, Alanna. You have subversive, treasonous intentions. Helping two undercover Jedi hide from the Empire. That's not exactly politically sound, is it?"

A look of disgust crossed Alanna's face. "Pah! I do not help the Empire. Never again."

"So you are okay with being a traitor. Join the club. There are many in the galaxy who are finding out the Empire is a very fracked up government...to say the least."

Alanna shook her head. "The worst that they can do is kill me. I have no partner, and no family. My parents were killed long ago, and I found that recently my brother was killed when a mine shaft collapsed. There is no one else for me to fear for. Traitorous actions scare me not, if the pay is good." She winked.

"Is money all you think about?"

Alanna laughed. She realized that the naïve Shiro was drawing from his Jedi training of abandoning desire for wealth. "No, I was only joking. I may have taken this job for no fee, but let's not tell that to Marik."

"How is Marik sustaining himself? How has he survived?"

Alanna stopped him. Wait...I have something that might answer your questions." She held up a disc. "Marik recorded this for you but before I can show it to you, you need to look at that coin I gave you. Marik requested that."

Shiro took out the coin and looked at it. He raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, this is pretty important. Only a Jedi like Marik would carry this. And that he sent it to me, that means something as well."

Alanna nodded. "Yes, he said that you would appreciate the significance. What the frell is it?"

"A Jedi Credit. They are reserved for family or close friends. Only a Corellian Jedi would carry something like this. Gives me a pretty good idea that you work for Marik and that I'm important to him. Either that or you killed him and stole it off him…which is unlikely."

"Why would I steal it when I don't even know what it is?"

"I said it was unlikely. Okay, go ahead and show me the tape."

Alanna slipped the disc into her holocomp. The recording began. The hologram of Marik appeared. He was wearing the green Jedi robes from his days before the Empire.

Alanna quirked her eyebrow. "He didn't look like that when I met him."

Marik began speaking. "Greetings, Shiro. I hope that Miss Sitara has found you no worse for the wear." He sighed. "I cannot help but feel that I failed you in a monumental fashion, young one. For that I am sincerely sorry. If I knew that you had lived, I would have fought against all of the men that the Empire could muster, despite the warnings of Master Muln...But enough about that for now."

"As you undoubtedly remember, I was sent on a mission with Master Muln to Acherin after I had announced my intention to take you as a Padawan. That is, of course, where we were when Order 66 took place. We escaped, barely, and hid in the Crystal Caves of Ilum for about a year. After that harrowing experience, we met up with Master Kenobi, who took us to recover. I spent a year on an asteroid, recovering. Master Muln and I split up at that point. I went to Wayland, where I still hide. Miss Sitara will tell you the details. I do hope to see you soon, until then let the Force be with you, my brother." The hologram ended.

Shiro paused. "Someone must be helping Marik if he's able to summon a bounty hunter. How is he being sustained, Alanna? Who is protecting him?"

"He is being protected by Senator Osma of Wayland." Alanna chuckled, "Senator Osma has a "Mr. Morn" on the payroll as security detail, an outrageous sum. That sum, of course, is my fee. From what I have heard Osma is an unusually kind senator. He's employed other Jedi in his police force of which Marik is the head. Something tells me that this won't look good to the Empire if they find out."

Shiro stood up. "I know now where I have to go and what I have to do. I have to go with you to Marik. It's time to join my brother as a student, the way it was meant to be."

"I would be happy to take you to him. That is my mission after all." Alanna leaned back in her chair. "So, what's our next move?"

"You're asking me?"

Alanna nodded. "Yeah. You're in charge as long as we eventually make our way to Marik and as long as you don't make any more rash choices like in the spaceport."

Shiro smiled. "I can't promise that. But I'll do my best. Anyways, I'm going after Senator Mox Hero of Ord Mantell. Mox has become a threat to the Empire and is going to be assassinated. I want to find the assassin because I suspect this assassin is Alexia. Alexia is just like me, a Youngling who was kidnapped and made into a sleeper cell. She hasn't escaped or been able to fight off the programming though."

Alanna leaned forward and tilted her head to the side. "Are you aiming to capture or kill her?"

"Good question. If I can help her, I let her live. If not, then... See, the programming is caused by a chip in our brains. If the chip is deactivated, then the programming will wear off...hopefully with no damage like with me. From the raid on the base, I obtained the right code to shut off her programming. All I need to do is capture her and have her close by when I type in the code on the holocomp. Unfortunately I haven't yet found the cure for my programming. If there is a cure. Now that I've seen you're pretty good in a scrap, I will need your help preventing the assassination and capturing Alexia."

"Of course. And, if we need to detain her, I have a containment area on the ship specially suited for Jedi and the like. But why are you so concerned about saving this one youngling?"

"She was my friend. I owe it to her. But be warned. They've probably notified the highest authorities of the Empire about me by now. I wouldn't be surprised if they've already notified Tremayne."

Alanna sucked in her breath through her teeth. "Of all of the vile creatures of the Empire...Damn! That is one force I know I cannot fight against."

"I see you've heard of him. He and I go back a bit. He was among the people who took charge of the brainwashed younglings. He once tried to use me to help start up a super-weapon called the Sith Reaver. My friends helped me snap out of it and I destroyed the Reaver. We escaped him. He's had a grudge against me ever since then."

Alanna hung her head. "Yes, I know him. He was my contact for the job which took my honor, and a good part of my soul, from me. He was the reason that I could not back out of the contract."

They both went silent, unsure of what to say. Alanna suddenly felt a little exposed. She worried that she was sharing too much with this strange soul. It had been a long time since she had been so open with someone so young. He reminded her of her brother and this scared her. Shiro turned away toward a computer screen; he placed a red disk inside the computer and began to look at the readouts that came up on the screen.

After a while Alanna looked over at Shiro. "What are you looking at?"

Shiro sighed. "A read-out of information I pirated from that Imperial base. It tells me who's involved with the Youngling Project. This way I know who to take my revenge upon."

Alanna winced slightly. "You should be careful with that. You don't want to just go around hurting a bunch of people right and left, do you? I mean, how involved are they?"

Shiro turned around. "Oh no! You can't stop me! Nothing in the 'verse can stop me! If they're in, they're in. Have to cut the edges. All will be dealt with."

Alanna looked at him seriously. "I have no intention of stopping you."

"But you don't agree..."

"Not completely. I know too well what it's like..."

He shouted at her, "Don't you think I'm trying? Dropped my paint in the water. Chalk ran. Sure to be caned. To the dark tower came. Two by two, blade of blue. Blade of red, all are dead!"

Alanna bolted upright in shock. She was speechless. Suddenly she felt the end of a blaster pressed against the back of her head. A woman stood behind her wearing a brown coat, a head-band, and pants containing many pockets, probably for carrying weapons such as the one she now had pointed at Alanna.

A voice said, "Don't move."

Shiro knew who it was but was still having one of his attacks. His fits had become more frequent since he had left Dantooine, a bad sign.

"Shiro's a good boy," he said. "Carries a sin. Supposed to help to help but it doesn't. Still so heavy." He looked up and said, "Amelie..."

When she realized it was the infamous Amelie Starkiller, Alanna sat down stark still, raised her arms to show she was unarmed and thought about how she needed to update the security systems on her ship.

Amelie spoke again. "You're not taking Shiro anywhere, bounty hunter."

Alanna said, "Starkiller, I have no intention of it."

"Then what's the deal with stealing Shiro?"

Alanna decided to speak calmly, even though she was a little scared. "More like saving him. He was ambushed."

"By whom?"

Cowering in the corner, Shiro answered, "By the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet."

Alanna looked over at Shiro and wondered what exactly he saw when he had his attacks. "I'm not sure, but I think it may have been Drakk Menace," she said

Amelie sounded shocked. "Menace? Can't be. He's dead. Got thrown off a cliff."

Shiro continued, "Mirroring events. Everything's familiar. They always come back."

Alanna asked, "When?"

Amelie answered, "A long time ago."

Shiro said, "In a galaxy far, far away..."

Alanna spoke skeptically, "Well, that's funny because he sure looked alive to me a few hours ago."

Shiro crossed his arms. "I feel cold," he said. "Supposed to help to help. Protect the boy."

Alanna spoke, "I swear to you that Shiro is not here against his will. And I have no intentions of collecting a bounty on him. I'm not that type of hunter."

Amelie said, "But you're Alanna Sitara, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"And you are a member of the Guild, aren't you?"

"Yes, but I am... selective."

"I heard you've killed Jedi before."

"No, that's false. I've never killed a Jedi…"

Shiro turned around fast. "What?"

"…I have been forced to kill those that supported Jedi, but I've never killed a Jedi."

Shiro began advancing. "Can't be seen. Truth must be weeded out. Dig fast." He pulled out his lightsaber. "Those who can't be trusted must be cut down!"

Amelie asked Alanna, "Why should I trust you?"

Alanna looked nervously over at Shiro. "At this point, what do I have to lose?"

Amelie considered a moment and then twirled her blaster and put it down. "Alright, I trust you... only cause you don't seem like an Emperor's Hand."

Shiro ignited his saber. "We must find the culprit and throw them in the pit!"

A figure came up behind Shiro. It was Frell. "Shiro…Calm down, dude."

Shiro pointed his lightsaber at Alanna. "You killed Jedi?"

"No!" Alanna shouted. "I killed a family protecting Jedi and I deeply regret it."

Shiro clenched his teeth with mad ferocity. "Treachery nonetheless!"

Alanna forced herself to stay calm. "Shiro, you know that I am not here to hurt you. Remember who sent me."

Shiro looked deep at Alanna, studying her as if for the first time. He paused. Then he looked around the room at the others. They were all silent with shock, staring at him, wondering what he'd do.

"Voices of truth," he said. "That's wormwood." He withdrew his saber, stepped back and shook his head a little.

Alanna visibly relaxed, as best she could. She had not expected Shiro to turn on her so suddenly. She had hoped her bad past wouldn't come up but now it was too late. She prayed she and Shiro would have the strength to trust each other now that they had inadvertently been at odds. She stood up and turned around to see the newcomers on her ship.

Frell extended a hand in friendship. "I'm Frell."

Alanna nodded and shook his hand. "Alanna Sitara."

Shiro murmured, "Introductions should be made. That's manners." He still was not out of his mad fit. In truth, it seemed as if Shiro would never really come out of it. He started to say "I'm Shiro", but then realized that everybody knew who he was.

Alanna turned to Amelie. "You are Amelie Starkiller, no? Your reputation precedes you."

Amelie chuckled. "The same for you, Alanna. Oh, by the way, it's Amelie Stryker now."

Shiro spoke up. "Oh, Alanna, Frell and Amelie here are friends of mine. They took care of me years ago."

Amelie laughed and hugged Shiro. "You, my friend, are crazy!"

"Rub it in, felon."

Alanna spoke to Amelie. "Thank you for not blowing my head off before I could explain myself. But how in the worlds did you get on my ship undetected?"

"Frell here is a master at breaking security."

Frell cut in, "And a master at another thing…" He put an arm around Amelie's waist.

Amelie batted his arm away. "Frell! Now's not the time!" She rolled her eyes. "Sheesh. Mando's!"

Shiro said, "Hand in hand, across the land. Heh."

Alanna said to Amelie, "I have wanted to meet you for quite some time. I just hoped that it would be under better circumstances."

"That's great, but could you please tell me why you took Shiro?"

Shiro turned to Amelie and said, "Amelie, Alanna was sent to protect me. She was sent by my prospective master, Marik."

"Marik, eh?"

Alanna nodded. "Here is a hologram disc from him, proving that he sent me."

"But I'm not sure if he knows about Crow," Shiro said.

Amelie said. "He will know soon enough, if he hasn't guessed anyway."

Alanna queried, "Who is Crow? Another of the Empire's ilk?"

"Try the Emperor himself."

Alanna started, "What?"

Shiro cut in, "Voice from beyond. The dark king sat on the throne. Crow is a drone in the mind that is evil."

Amelie explained, "You see, Shiro's been experimented upon by the Empire. The Crow manipulation program was included in the experimentation."

Alanna was unsure but nodded. "Got it… I think."

"Shiro's being hunted by the Empire. One person in particular. Some di'kut named Tremayne. You can't reason with him. You can't talk him out of this."

"I know about Tremayne, and I know what he is capable of." Alanna unconsciously rubbed her neck.

Shiro said, "So, Amelie, what have you found out about the Imperial spies sent after me? Are they trying to capture me, kill me or persuade me to join?"

"I figure they're trying to get you to rejoin the Empire. Apparently, you're too valuable a prize for them to just discard or destroy."

"They come in the night, ready to ignite. Child to hone, to reclaim their own."

"Uh, yeah, exactly." Amelie slowly shook her head as she looked at Shiro. "This is why I worry about you.

"What about Alexia? She's sent here to assassinate Senator Hero, right?"

"Senator Hero? He's a dead man. He just doesn't know it yet."

"But we could stop her."

"We can try."

Shiro felt a hand touch his shoulder. He was startled. He turned around and met a very familiar face. "Mulann!"

Mulann nodded. "Hello Shiro. I missed you. I wish you had told me you were leaving."

"But, Mulann, why? Why did you come?"

"I had to, Shiro. You need my help."

"Mulann, no! You'll get hurt!"

"I don't care, Shiro. I won't desert you." Mulann hugged Shiro close.

Alanna spoke to Amelie. "I assume she is a friend of yours."

Amelie looked at the two and nodded. "When I learned Shiro had left, I picked Mulann up and brought her with me. She had insisted on seeing him."

"So you're gonna help me find out how to stop the programming?" Shiro said to Mulann.

Mulann nodded again. "Of course, Shiro. I will support your choice but you need me to help you control your anger."

Shiro smiled a little. "Heh. I guess you've got a point there. Mulann, do you remember, Marik? Alanna here was sent by him to find me. I'm thinking I should go learn from him now. He was going to be my master before the Empire began. I just want to know if that's okay with you."

"Yes, Shiro. I've taught you all I can. You and Marik are dear friends. You need to fulfill your destiny as his Padawan. I'll go with you though. We'll all go with you. We're still a team."

Suddenly there was the sound of a lightsaber igniting. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound. Out of the ship hallway stepped the Sith agent, Melkior.

"Good evening," the Dark Jedi said.

Amelie turned around fast and pointed a blaster at Melkior. "Dar'jetii!" She tossed a gun to Alanna. Frell pulled his own blaster. Mulann ignited her lightsaber.

Melkior chuckled and lightly scraped the blade of his lightsaber along the ship wall.

Alanna leveled the blaster at Melkior and said, "You're gonna have to pay for that!"

Shiro turned around. "Go in to the gloom. Should I face my doom?"

Melkior spoke to Shiro, "Shiro, we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Shiro slowly took a step toward Melkior, transfixed. "Can't fight back, way off track."

"Amelie, who is this?" Alanna asked, watching Melkior and Shiro with surprise.

"His name is Melkior. He's a Sith. He's come to take Shiro back to the Empire," Amelie answered.

Melkior looked over at Amelie. "Ah, Amelie! You of all people should appreciate what I am trying to accomplish. You and I are brethren! Do not forget that you were once a Mandalorian as I was. Do not forget how the Jedi massacred our people."

Alanna looked back and forth from Melkior to Amelie. "Mandalorian? You two are Mandalorians? The Mandalorians killed my parents on Galidraan!"

Amelie kept her gaze on Melkior. "I was merely a child at that time. I had nothing to do with that. Melkior, on the other hand, was full grown and might have had something to do with that. Furthermore, he's done plenty other terrible things since becoming a Sith. He manipulated Shiro and caused the merciless death of one of my shipmates. And I'm sure he's done other heartless things since. Melkior, I side with the Jedi now! They have become my friends. Believe it or not, I have learned something you have not: compassion."

Melkior sighed and looked at Mulann. "Mulann, it's been a long time. I've missed you."

For a moment Mulann seemed to waver in her resolve, but she said, "Come any closer to him and I will kill you."

"I don't want to hurt you," Melkior said. "I'm just here for the boy. But I might take you in exchange, Mulann." He turned back to Shiro. "Shiro, come home. Don't you realize that, by staying away, you are causing your friends more potential pain from your pursuers?"

Shiro nodded heavily, caught in Melkior's gaze. "The thought had crossed my mind."

"Shiro," Amelie called out, "Don't let him draw you again!"

But it was too late. Shiro had ignited his saber and was moving slowly, step by step toward Melkior. "Blade of light. Dead by night."

Melkior spoke to Mulann again, "Mulann, I'm abandoning the Empire. This is my last job. Just give me the boy. Then we can go away together. I'll protect you from them."

Shiro shook violently. "Help...Can't stop!"

"Shiro's place is with the Empire. You know that. Hell, I may be a Sith, but the Empire takes care of their own. Shiro, you are still one of us."

"People tear so easily. Like pink paper. The wind talks when you're alone." Shiro stopped, unsure of what to do. Then suddenly he launched himself towards Melkior violently, yelling, "No!"

Alanna fired a stun blast at Shiro. Shiro fell to the ground unconscious. Alanna pointed the blaster back at Melkior "The next one is for you. I've set it on kill. I won't miss!"

"If I were you," Mulann said to Melkior, "I'd be leaving."

Melkior spoke to them, "We don't have to go through this. We can do this without violence."

Alanna growled at Melkior, "Get out!"

Melkior assessed that he was outnumbered. He had not expected to find Shiro so well protected. He decided to wait for an opportunity to catch Shiro when he wasn't surrounded by his allies, when he was defenseless and easy to break. Till then, he would bide his time.

"As you wish," he said. "But this isn't over. Mulann, you had better turn either yourself or him over to me and save yourself pain. You know Tremayne won't bargain."

Mulann looked at him with determination. "Neither of us will go with you."

Melkior gave one final look of longing and quickly exited the ship before the group had time to respond.

Alanna breathed a sigh of relief. She holstered her blaster and talked to the ship's computer. "Check the extent of the damage. Check for anomalies. He found us way too easily."

"Well we haven't seen the last of him," Amelie said. "Frack! We shouldn't have let him get away!" She sighed. "And I swear he's fallin' head over heels for Mulann!"

"I gathered that," Alanna said. She went over to check Shiro.

Alanna touched Shiro's shoulder. Shiro flipped over suddenly to face Alanna. Alanna jumped in surprise. No one in the galaxy could have recovered so quickly from a stun blast.

Shiro stared up at her with angry eyes. He breathed heavily. "Force from behind, hm? How dare you!" Shiro raised up his deactivated lightsaber hilt and pointed it towards Alanna. "You have no idea what I am."

Alanna breathed just as heavily and faced Shiro down. "You dare threaten me? I'll take my information about your friend Marik and leave you here to rot."

Mulann stared at them. "Shiro! Alanna! Stop this!"

Shiro shook himself and looked away. He seemed to come back to himself.

Mulann helped Shiro up. "Shiro, calm yourself, please. Remember your training. This is not you."

Shiro touched his head. "Mulann... I... I'm sorry. What was I thinking?"

"Shh, Shiro," Mulann said. "It's alright."

Shiro turned to Alanna. "I'm sorry, Alanna. I need help. I'm not well."

Alanna took a deep breath. "I know, Shiro. I should watch my tongue as well."

Shiro turned around to face the group. "It's getting serious now," he said to all of them. "Those who want out can leave. Nothing in the 'verse can stop me."

Amelie folded her arms and said, "We're all with you, Shiro. You know that."

Shiro rubbed his eyes and turned to Alanna. "I'm getting tired. I need to rest."

Alanna nodded. "You can stay here tonight if you like. I…would prefer it if everyone stayed nearby… for protection." She pointed back past the bridge. "Follow the corridor, the second door on the left is guest quarters."

"Thank you, Alanna."

Frell, a man of few words, surprisingly added, "I'd say you've been quite accommodating under the circumstances, Miss Sitara."

Alanna chuckled and looked around at the group. "You're not kidding. After all, I believe I was threatened by y'all three times at least. And my ship was broken into several times, despite my quality security system. Not to mention that my ship is now damaged, thanks to our friend, Melkior. So you could say I'm being a good sport. I guess my mother would have liked that."

"May I also stay?" Mulann asked. She smiled. "Ami kicked me out of her guest room for being too noisy."

Amelie humorously feigned frustration. "I did not! Frell did!"

Alanna nodded again. "Try the second door on the right, same corridor." Mulann bowed in response.

Shiro walked off, escorted by Mulann. He spoke tiredly to the group. "We'll talk more in the morning. In a few days will be Senator Hero's parade. That's where we must go to stop Alexia."

Amelie watched Mulann walk off, snickered and spoke to Alanna. "She is the noisiest Jedi I know. Snores like a saw."

Mulann turned and frowned. "For your information, I do not… anymore!" She headed off with Shiro.

Alanna chuckled, "At least the walls of the Levana are thick…Or maybe not so thick." She went over and looked at the burn mark on the ship wall. _Damn it! _She thought. _This is going to be expensive to fix._

Amelie watched her and read her mind. "Get used to it, Alanna. I've been around Shiro longer than you, and I can tell you that you're in for a lot more trouble. Though, I rather enjoy the ride. I think you will end up enjoying it too, now that you're one of us."

Alanna reflected on this. Amelie had said that she was now "one of them." Alanna was used to being on her own. She had lived most of her life this way since she lost her family. She was wary of groups. Wary of becoming attached to yet another family. In this hard universe, families tended to be all too easily broken. She realized Shiro probably knew that all too well.

"And so that is how the situation stands as of now. Shiro refuses to leave Ord Mantell until we deal with this newest crisis. I will, of course, stay with him to protect him, as per our contract."

Alanna's hologram paused for a moment, having finished her report. Marik nodded, things were progressing much faster than he could have hoped for. Ms. Sitara's reputation was certainly not without merit.

Marik took a deep breath before responding to her. Did she look a bit nervous? It was so hard to read people on holocalls. "Somehow I get the feeling there is something else I should know…"

Alanna's image fidgeted slightly. "Well, I am unsure what Shiro's mental state was last time you saw him, but I can guarantee you that it has since deteriorated. There is something wrong with him. The Empire brainwashed him and fracked with his mind, trying to make him a programmed assassin. He's been able to fight off the programming with Mulann's help but it's not easy. Lately the programming has been acting up again. There was a malfunction in the programming and it scarred his mind. He's kind of insane now. It's… hard to explain. You'll see for yourself once we reach Wayland."

Marik gasped at this news and waited for more. "Yes, and…?"

Amelie shrugged her shoulders. "That's it."

Marik sighed deeply. _I guess I won't be getting anything else out of her tonight_. "Very well, Ms. Sitara, I shall be prepared. I will await your communication after the crisis has passed."

"Yes, I will contact you when we are approaching the rendezvous point, hopefully in a few days. Until then."

Marik took one last look at the woman in the hologram. She really was a lovely woman. He cleared his throat before responding, "Until then, may the Force be with you both…"

The hologram dissipated, leaving Marik alone in the cool night air. A gentle wind caressed his brow, blowing his hair into his eyes. Irritated, Marik brushed it away idly. Slowly he walked through the calm darkness, thinking about all that had passed.

Soon Marik came upon a clearing, one in which he had meditated in many times before. This place spoke of peace. Marik sat down on a nearby rock and tilted his head up towards the stars. _Soon, very soon, Shiro will be traversing through those stars, through those galaxies, towards me. I wonder what kind of man the boy I once knew has become. And what kind of problems he has… But no matter what the Empire has done to him, I swear I will keep my brother safe and protect him from them. I will do my best to heal him from the damage they have done to his mind. I will guide him to faithfully follow the way of the Light. I will save him. I swear it._ Marik continued gazing at the stars, as the sky grew grey, and he finally walked home as the sunrise kissed the horizon.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 4_

A few days later, Shiro and the group hid in a corner of the town square. They watched the crowds gather for the Charity Parade of Ord Mantell.

Lately, the quality of this annual celebration had noticeably deteriorated. The streets were dirtier and there were fewer floats than there had once been. But not too many people complained. A good amount of people still showed up to wave at Senator Mox Hero as his float rode by. Senator Hero had tried hard to better the image of Ord Mantell, which was not an easy thing to do. For the longest time, Ord Mantell's major use in the galaxy was as a huge junkyard for all the military scrap left behind from cruisers and other implements of war. The skies were darkened from toxic smog and many of the buildings were put together from the large amount of scrap lying around. Because of this, few people came there, fearful of toxicity, unless they were trying to hide something. Despite the senator's best efforts, the planet was still a gathering place for crime and corruption. The senator had other things to worry about though. Because he had tried to block the amount of Imperial personnel on the planet and because of his refusal to pay a substantial tribute to the Empire in the last month, he was unknowingly scheduled to be assassinated at this parade. Shiro and his group were there to stop the assassination attempt and capture the assassin.

Shiro had little concern for the senator. He was more interested in simply confronting the assassin sent after him. It had been a long time since he had seen one of his fellow younglings. He remembered how Alexia had rushed at the Clone Troopers with fury. He realized they had anger in common. When the Troopers had fired at her, he had thought her dead. And now, to think of her made into a pawn for the Empire. He knew that was a horrible fate. He had to save her, if he could.

Shiro looked around at the buildings, adjusting his goggles to focus in. Then he realized there was only one way to tell where Alexia was. Shiro took off his goggles, closed his eyes and stretched out with the Force to find the presence of Alexia. He quickly found it about a block away. He wondered if she had sensed him too.

He spoke to Alanna and the group. "The parade float of Mox Hero will be drawing near soon. She is close. I sense that she is determined and well armed. She will not give up without a fight... like me."

Frell sniffed the air. "Oh, Force! We're in over our heads." Being a Mandalorian, he could tell when trouble was brewing. Unlike Amelie, however, Frell was more conservative and tried to avoid trouble if he could. But when he couldn't, it was best to stay out of his path.

Shiro nodded and then opened his eyes. He could hear the parade music starting and the parade approaching. "We haven't much time. There! Hurry!"

Shiro took off like a shot. Alanna and the group struggled to keep up with him. Alanna looked up at the building Shiro ran towards. She could faintly see a figure in the window, lining up the scope on her rifle. As she ran, Alanna quickly converted her blaster to rifle mode and attempted to aim at the building. She fired. The blast shook the building. The parade had already started, so no people noticed. They merely thought it was one of the intended cannon blasts that were being set off as part of the show. Alanna suddenly regretted her decision. Now Alexia was sure to know that they were coming. She reconverted her blaster back to normal.

Shiro entered the building and ran up the stairs, with Alanna and Amelie close behind. He kicked open a door and ran into a room. Alexia turned around to face him.

Shiro's eyes were maddened. "Alexia! The spark. Everybody tells go to hell. The wind talks when you're all alone."

Alexia moved back in fear. "Get away from me! I don't want to hurt you, Shiro."

Alanna arrived at the top of the staircase and aimed her blaster at Alexia.

Frell put a hand up. "Don't fire."

Alanna nodded.

Shiro kept his eyes focused on Alexia. This was what Mulann was afraid of. Shiro was having one of his mad fits and this was the worst time for him to freak out. It would cause more violence than was necessary.

Shiro moved slowly across the room. "Friends go squirming, and then lay still. It's not enough. You can't just watch, you have to see." He paused then ignited his lightsaber.

"Shiro!" Mulann called out. "Shiro, calm yourself! Don't give in to the madness! Don't listen to Crow! Remember, you came here to help Alexia!"

Shiro shook his head and looked back at Alexia. "Alexia, you've got to come with us. We'll break the hold. No more mind games, no more mind. Have to cut it out. I will not stop until."

Amelie nudged Alanna. "Things don't look good. Alexia is bound by her programming as well."

Alexia cringed and moved farther back. She was paralyzed with fear. She knew Shiro was far more powerful than her. And she knew he was unstable. "No! Shiro, what happened to you? Did the Jedi screw up your mind?"

Shiro frowned. He realized that, from a certain point of view, there was some truth in her words. "Yes," he answered. "But your friend, Palpatine, made things ten times worse. Too much deep inside me. A fun, funny game. They lie. They lie!" He looked uncertain. "Should I let go? Maybe show the dark? Time to go back?"

Alexia nodded. "Yes, Melkior's here to get you to do just that. Please, Shiro…"

Shiro continued towards Alexia, holding out his shaking hands. He was trying hard to keep cool. "Alexia, you're a drone. You need help. We can make it stop. I know how. Come with us or... or... Oh, frack!"

Shiro shook violently all over. Crow was screaming in his mind. _"She has betrayed her honor! She's one of them! Make her suffer! Kill her! Show her the fate of those who serve your enemies!"_

Shiro growled and tried in vain to fight. "No way out!"

Suddenly Shiro ran at Alexia. Alexia ignited her blade and struck at Shiro. Shiro countered violently and the two blades clashed together with fury. Soon, Alexia was no longer attacking but was struggling with all her might to defend herself. She had not expected so much fury from Shiro. Shiro bristled with hate. He was feeding off his hatred for himself, what the Empire had turned him into, and what they had done to Alexia. Fighting her was like fighting that other, darker part of himself.

Mulann tried to separate them, but Shiro pushed her back. He slammed his lightsaber up against Alexia's, pressing her against the wall.

"Stop being a puppet!" he yelled.

Alexia pleaded, "I can't!"

The two combatants were moving fast around the whole room. Alanna realized there was no chance of a clean shot and backed out of the way of the fight. Shiro pushed his blade up against Alexia's.

Alexia was about to give up hope. "Kill me!" she exclaimed. "You'd be doing me a favor. I hate serving Tarkin!"

Alanna yelled, "Shiro, we don't have time for this right now!" She looked at the others. "Ame, Frell, come on! Help me restrain them!" She moved toward the duelists.

Alexia was losing the fight. Suddenly her blade went out. Shiro had deactivated it with the Force. Shiro lunged to a kill stance and was about to slice Alexia. Alexia closed her eyes and winced.

"Shiro, no!" Mulann called out.

Shiro stopped mid-strike, wavering. He looked down at Alexia and saw his old friend. The scared girl in the temple. The bold girl who had lunged at the Clone Troopers. Shiro couldn't move. Alanna jumped and knocked him down, to make sure. Shiro rolled on the ground and deactivated his lightsaber and holstered it to his belt. Everyone let out a deep sigh of relief.

Shiro looked at Alexia. He spread his hand in her direction. She was knocked over by the Force.

Shiro stood up. He had recovered from the spell. He spoke to the others, "Grab her." They ran over and shackled Alexia with cortosis cuffs. "Stun her. We'll take her to the ship."

Alanna held Alexia down. She struggled and cried out, "No! No! Let me go!"Alanna grabbed her blaster to stun Alexia, but she saw it needed recharging.

Shiro came up to Alexia and passed his hand over her face. "No more mind." Alexia fell unconscious.

Amelie helped Alanna pick up Alexia. "Alanna, this is one of Governor Tarkin's right hands."

Alanna nodded. "A good catch."

Shiro cocked his head to the side. "She is like me. What I might become." He looked over at Alanna. "Call the ship."

The group hustled through the crowded streets, carrying Alexia. They moved through the back alleys, looking every way.

"The ship will be here soon!" Alanna said.

Not soon enough. The sound of a rocket pack was heard and Drakk Menace descended to ground in front of them. He took out his double-blade vibro-sword and held it extended towards the group.

Menace grinned and said, "Going somewhere, Ame?"

Amelie gritted her teeth. "You!"

Shiro stopped and looked at Menace. "Bad daddy! Needs a caning!"

Menace looked over at Shiro and nodded. "Shiro, care to make this easy on yourself?"

Amelie fired her blaster. "When will you just die?"

Menace blocked the blaster bolt with ease. "You first!" He lunged towards Amelie with his double-blade. Amelie ducked out of the way of the slashing move. Menace sliced Amelie's blaster in half.

Shiro began to shake. "No! No! Not again! Stop! Get out of my brain!"

Alanna looked around and saw a crowd gathering around them. "Shiro," she said, "Keep it together."

Shiro ignited his saber. He twirled it in the air around him. He looked at Menace madly. "Wanna have a go?"

The crowd ran in fear of the fight. People were stepping over each other.

For a second, Menace actually looked scared. Then he looked over at Alanna and said, "Hey, bounty hunter. You care about profit, like me. Turn Shiro over to the Black Sun. You know they'll make it worth your while. This boy will only bring you trouble. He'll get you killed sooner or later. Make the smart decision."

Amelie looked over at Alanna. "Alanna, don't listen to him."

Alanna glanced around at the crowd running. She knew Stormtroopers would probably be there soon. Alanna looked at Shiro and Amelie uncertainly. For a moment, her resolve wavered.

Menace grinned. "Better hurry up and decide. We don't have much time."

Alanna looked back at Menace with a determined gaze. "I won't betray my employer. I've made my choice. You're not getting Shiro."

Menace frowned, "Wrong answer."

Amelie and Alanna smiled at each other. Amelie pulled out a curved vibro-knife and jumped on Menace. Menace yelled, reached up and clawed at Amelie's face, cutting her cheek. Amelie screamed and Menace threw Amelie off his back to the ground. Shiro ran up and engaged Menace with his lightsaber. Alanna gave Alexia to Frell and Mulann, pulled out her own knife and ran at Menace. Menace detached his vibroblades from each other and fought all three of Alanna, Amelie, and Shiro at the same time.

Menace kicked both Shiro and Amelie to the ground. He crossed his blades and pointed them at Alanna, scissor style. "Give me the boy!" he hissed.

"Never!" Alanna said.

Amelie rose up from the ground, pulled out an extra blaster and she and Frell fired at Menace's hands, disarming him. Menace fell to his knees. Amelie went up to Menace, held her blaster to his head, and said, "Time to finish the job. Any last words, Menace?"

Menace looked up at the group defiantly, "You fools! This aint over! The Black Sun doesn't give up! Neither does the Empire! You should know that by now, Amelie!" Menace swiped them out of the way and grabbed his vibro-blades. The jets on Menace's rocket pack flared. "I'll be back," he said and he rocketed into the sky.

Amelie made a futile attempt at a parting shot.

Alanna sighed, "Well, he got away… again."

Frell heard a noise and turned around. He saw a large group of Stormtroopers running toward them.

"Stop them!" a trooper yelled.

"Uh, guys!" Frell yelled at the group. "I think we should be going!"

Alanna and the group looked at the approaching troopers and gasped in fear.

Mulann heard a loud humming and looked up at the sky. "Look!" she cried out.

The _Levana _landed right beside the group. Alanna grabbed Alexia. Shiro, Mulann, and she ran in the ship while Amelie and Frell covered them and then ran in as well. The _Levana _took off as the troopers fired at it.

Alanna took Alexia toward her cell. This cell was the cell she had specifically designed for housing Jedi, with cortosis wall linings to isolate Force powers. She and Mulann cuffed Alexia, who was starting to awaken, down.

Frell came in and said, "Alanna, Shiro wishes to speak with you alone."

Alanna nodded. "Thanks."

"Hey, Amelie says that she and I better go back to our ship, the _Star Searcher_. Just drop us off at the landing site and we'll follow you to wherever you are going."

"Sounds good."

When the others had stepped out of the cell, she locked it. She went to the cockpit and set the auto-pilot on a course toward the location of the_ Star Searcher_. Then she walked toward the game room. She found Shiro sitting akimbo and at a console.

"What are you doing?" Alanna asked.

Shiro responded without turning around, "I've just typed in the code to deprogram Alexia and I'm broadcasting the signal over the Imperial net. It should quickly deprogram Alexia's chip. She should be back to normal in thirty mynots."

Shiro spun his chair around to face Alanna. "Alanna, good work back there. Quick decision making. I'm impressed."

Alanna quirked her eyebrow. "Even though I had to knock you down?"

"I was out of my senses. You did the right thing for the moment. I might have hurt someone."

Alanna sighed deeply and took a seat. "It is nice to see that you have returned to your senses."

"In fact, I think I did almost hurt someone. How is Alexia?"

"She's still out, and in the Force containment cell. She should wake soon however."

"I want to explain something to you. When I nearly killed Alexia, that was Crow taking over. The program is a link to the dark side of the Force. Crow tells me to do things. Bad things."

Alanna took a deep breath and hissed air in through her teeth. "J'katha! Those Imperials don't mess around."

"I guess you have to keep an eye on me. I can fight it off most of the time but when I get upset or tense or enraged it can take over."

Alanna chuckled slightly. "Good thing I can set my blaster to stun then."

"Stun may not be enough sometimes."

Alanna paused for a moment thoughtfully. "Maybe you need to see Marik sooner rather than later."

"You're right. We need to get to Marik. I need training. I need help. Let us go to Wayland."

Alanna nodded. "I'll contact him and let him know we are heading that way." Shiro turned back toward the computer. While he continued using the main computer, Alanna moved to the communication unit and began to attempt to contact Marik.

Shiro looked over at Alanna and said, "Thanks for stopping me, Alanna. With your help maybe I can beat this."

Alanna and Shiro both smiled at each other. Later, the _Levana_ and the _Star Searcher _were on their way through hyperspace, headed for both Wayland and Shiro's "brother," Marik.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 5_

Shiro headed to his quarters on Alanna's ship. He sensed something strange and yet familiar in the Force. He opened the door and saw Raisen in the room, sitting on his bed.

Raisen looked at him and said, "Shiro."

He was surprised to see this intruder, but even more surprised because he knew this intruder all too well. He knew her as a figure of the past, a figure he thought had been lost forever. The shock of seeing her again sent him into yet another of his mad fits.

Shiro shouted at her, "Out! This is my place! You need permission to be here! You need a special slip with a stamp!"

Raisen rose. "Shiro, you don't remember me?"

Shiro turned away from her and paced back and forth, seeming to ignore her. "You go on. You try to wall off your feelings. You think you're finished but you're not. Worse than ever, you are."

Raisen got off the bed and stood in shock, watching Shiro. She knew his brain was scrambled but she was shocked at how different Shiro seemed already. He was obviously older, wiser, and more powerful but he was also more afraid because of his experiences. And she realized that that made him more dangerous. He might harm even those who were once his friends.

Shiro spun around. "You went away."

Raisen realized he was now talking to her. She responded, "I got separated from you. Don't worry. Trust me."

Shiro suddenly looked at her. "Kyra?"

Raisen smiled. He had spoken her true name. The name she had not heard for a long time but she had never forgotten. She cracked a smile. "There's the Shiro I know."

Raisen resolved that no matter what, she would try to recapture that former life of hers. The life before all the bowing and scraping and killing in cold blood. She swore that, from now on, she would be Kyra and not Raisen.

She looked Shiro over. She had waited so long to see him again. She ran up and hugged him. "Force times are bad for us, huh?"

Shiro was uncertain though. He realized that Kyra may have been there for hidden purposes. After all, he knew what she had become. A tool for the Empire.

"How did you get in here?" Shiro asked.

"The Empire has taught me how to break security codes and infiltrate ships such as this when nobody is looking and how to remain undetected."

Shiro backed away from her at the mention of the Empire. "Then you must be… Oh no! You've come to take me back to them. Get away from me! I did not think they'd send you!"

Kyra went toward Shiro, who turned from her, breathing heavily. "Shiro, listen. Something's happened. I can't explain what but my chip isn't working. It must have shorted out when you cancelled Alexia's chip. Shiro, I've decided to defect. I don't want to be part of the Empire. I hate everything about them." She took his hand in hers. "I won't betray you, Shiro. I won't desert you."

"Lies and riddles. Answers and questions. Wormwood," Shiro muttered. He couldn't look at her but he felt her words held some weight.

"Shiro, I listened in on your conversation. Do you really mean to destroy the programming and save the rest of the younglings? Can you? I know you can. Please, Shiro, we need your help."

"You need... you need... they need to feed. Bodies everywhere!" Shiro held his head. "Two by two!"

"Shiro, I know you're tired. I'm tired too. I'm tired of having no choice. I'm tired of serving creeps like Tremayne and Isard. I'm tired of the voices in my head."

But Shiro wasn't listening. "They're dead, all of them! No end to attack! They'll come back! Augh! Not the time! Dead! Dead! They're all dead!" Shiro's eyes went wide. He pulled out his lightsaber. "I'll cut it out! I'll cut it out!

Kyra backed up "Shiro, no! Please!"

Shiro screamed, "Don't you know what they did to me?" He fell to the floor shivering and weeping.

Kyra went up to him and rubbed his back. "You poor thing. There, there, Shiro. It's alright. They haven't got you yet. You're still free. You're still fighting them. You're safe. Oh, Shiro, how could they do this to us?"

Shiro whimpered. "You mean him! Feathers flap. Feathers flap. Not safe. Never safe from him."

"Sidious!" Kyra hissed.

Shiro nodded. "Mm hm. The Crow."

"This is why I will fight with you."

Shiro shivered. "They'll come back. They'll come back." He turned to her. "They got you?"

Kyra nodded. "I can learn to fight though."

"You want out?"

"I want out. No more."

"But they're after us. They'll come back. They won't stop. We'll have to fight them."

"I know. And we will, side by side."

Shiro calmed. He looked up, encouraged. "And I know how to fight them."

Shiro paused. He looked at Kyra. He remembered how they had once been good friends. Since his separation from her and the other Jedi, his feelings had deepened.

Shiro hugged Kyra. "Don't be afraid. I won't let them get you. They won't get any of us. I'll make them pay. I'll find the power."

Kyra smiled. She knew things would work out now that she and Shiro were together. She trusted in Shiro. "Shiro, tell me, who do you know of the masters that survived?"

"Hm? Survived? Blade of red, all are dead."

"That can't be. The Jedi wouldn't go down so easily."

"Some survived. Some alive." Shiro smiled. "I thought I was alone until I escaped. I've found friends though. Mulann Fennix."

"Oh, Force! The Tusken Jedi?"

"Yeah. She trained me. Helped me fight off Crow. But can't fight it off for long. Have to act. Have to kill. Destroy. Then free." Shiro paused a moment to consider. "Marik... Once I find him, he'll give me the power I need….Kyra, I can help you. But you must help me. We have to be strong together. Marik will help us. We're going to Wayland."

"And I'll be there every step."

Shiro chuckled. "Great! Woo! I'm so glad that you're safe. I missed you. I missed everybody."

"Yeah."

Shiro looked at Kyra deeply. He began to recite one of the poems that Kyra and he had learned long ago. "That the winds may blow the earth into the sea, or swell the curled water above the main, that things might change or cease."

Kyra giggled. "I was always partial to 'time rolls on, years go by. But friends we shall remain, you and I.'"

Shiro giggled back. He sang a little ditty he had learned. "He that has and a little tiny wit with hey, ho, the wind and the rain, must make content with his fortunes fit, for the rain it rains every day."

Kyra laughed. "You're sense of humor hasn't changed." She rubbed her eyes a bit. For some reason, she was feeling very tired. "Hey, you got any of those riddles?"

Shiro nodded. "If you have it, you want to share it. If you share it, you don't have it. What is it?"

Kyra blinked several times. "What?"

Shiro smiled. "It's a secret."

"Shiro, I'm getting tired. Tell me the answer."

"The answer is a secret."

"No really, tell me, Shiro!"

Shiro folded his arms. "I know you're playing."

They both laughed softly. Shiro looked deeply at Kyra. He suddenly felt a deep sense of attachment to her. Gently, he bent toward her. Then Kyra yawned in Shiro's face. Shiro frowned as Kyra fell back on the pillow of the bed.

"Good night," she said. She closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

Shiro gazed at her and then pulled the covers over her. He patted her back. "Bless thee from whirlwinds, star-blasting and taking," he said.

Shiro got off the bed and, taking a glance back at Kyra, quietly left the room. Kyra had her first untroubled sleep that night.

Alanna was in the kitchen, getting a midnight snack. She looked about in the refrigerator. The Air cake she had been saving was gone. As was her alcoholic blue milk. _Strange_, she thought, _I don't seem to remember having those yet._ She settled for a Barabel fruit.She munched on it as she walked back toward her quarters.

As she walked past the game room, a voice suddenly spoke, "Kyra ate the cake. Sorry."

Alanna jumped, screamed and dropped her fruit. Shiro was lounging on the couch with the bottle of alcoholic blue milk in his hand.

Alanna was flabbergasted. "What are you doing in here?"

Shiro looked over at her, groggily. He was obviously drunk. He spoke in a slurred voice. "I could ask you the same question."

Alanna started, "I…," then folded her arms and sighed. "I was getting a snack."

"So was I."

She pointed to the bottle in his hand. "I was saving that for a rainy day."

"It's a big galaxy. I'm sure it's raining somewhere. Probably on Kamino."

"You do know that has liquor in it?"

Shiro's eyes got big. "Really? I've never heard of alcoholic blue milk. That would explain my dizziness." He smiled and hiccupped.

She rolled her eyes. "Great! An insane drunk Jedi on my ship!"

"Hey, I'm not driving!"

"Aren't you a little young for that?"

"Seventeen is the legal drinking age on Nal Hutta. I'm nearly seventeen."

"Yeah, well I'm probably out of hangover pills so you'd better be careful."

"You're a pill!"

Alanna sighed again and sat down on a chair next to him. "So, how's Alexia?"

"I checked on her. She says she's surprised at all that's happened. But she wants to thank me for waking her up. It's like a nightmare, you know? One you can't wake up from."

"All considered, I think I'm glad that I don't know what that's like."

Shiro took another swig. "Hey this stuff is great! I'm not freaking out or anything. Maybe this can help calm me from now on."

"Yeah well, from now on, maybe you should try the regular kind instead."

"By the way, Alanna, we've got a stow-away."

"What?"

"Sleepest or wakest thou, jolly shepherd? Thy sheep be in the corn; And for one blast of thy minikin mouth, Thy sheep shall take no harm. Pur! The cat is gray." Shiro burped.

"I don't believe this!" Alanna exclaimed. She went to the intercom and shouted so everyone could hear, "Who the hell is on my ship?"

"Shh! I put her to sleep!"

Alanna turned around. "Excuse me?"

"She's sleeping in my room. She won't cause any trouble. She's a friend."

"So you know this person?"

"Mm hm. She's an old friend. Her name's Kyra. She was in the Temple with me. She's like Alexia. She was one of the Younglings." Shiro's attention wandered. He got a dreamy look in his eyes and smiled. "She looks so peaceful sleeping."

"Hey!" Alanna shouted and snapped her fingers in front of Shiro's face, drawing his attention back to her. "My ship is not an orphanage! Now I appreciate the good of what you're trying to do by setting these Jedi free from their bonds and it's nice you want your friends with you. But my mission was to bring you, just you, to Marik. I have a big ship but it can only take so many passengers. I think, if Marik were here, he'd say you have to be patient and carefully plan out your goal of liberating the Jedi before you execute it. Can't we just get to Marik and we'll see where things go from there?"

Shiro rolled his eyes. "Relax! Kyra and Alexia were among my few real friends in the Temple, so I feel obliged to help them. But I'm like you, I'm anxious to get to Marik too. I haven't seen him in a long time."

Alanna looked hard at Shiro, not completely sure if he really understood. He was drunk after all, wasn't he? She frowned and stood up. "I'm gonna go check on her, just to make sure I know what we're dealing with here."

"Don't wake her!"

"I won't! I won't! Chill! I just have to check her out. Oh, and I think you've had enough of this!" She snatched the bottle away from Shiro and walked off. "Just lovely," she muttered. "Three confused brainwashed Jedi on this ship. I'm gonna get killed by one of them, I just know it."

Shiro hummed a tune. "Her boat hath a leak and she must not speak. Why, she dares not come over to thee."

Minutes later, Alanna came back. "It looks alright, but she cannot sleep in there with you. Not enough room for two on that bunk."

Shiro started to protest but stopped, frowned and said, "Fine!"

She turned to Shiro. "You aren't even a little bit suspicious? She could have been sent as a spy, or worse."

"Not Kyra. She's my friend. I trust her."

"Have you forgotten that the Empire has made some major changes?"

Shiro turned and looked seriously at her. "She's staying with us."

Alanna grinned. "Are those hearts I see in your eyes?"

Shiro sighed and exclaimed. "Please!"

Alanna chuckled.

Seeking to change the subject, Shiro said, "So, Alanna, tell me about Marik. How was he when you left him?"

Alanna grinned, realizing she had put Shiro on the spot, but decided to drop the subject. "He was well," she said. "As he was when I spoke to him the other day."

"How are his skills?"

"That is an interesting question to ask one that is not knowledgeable in the Force."

"You mean he didn't show you anything? You know, he's a Force Healer. That's how he's able to recover so quickly from being injured. He can also do what's called a 'Mind Sweep,' where he can enter the minds of people and ease their mental states. I'm hoping he can use that to maybe exorcise Crow."

"You think that will work?"

"It's worth a shot. Hey, has he still got his green robes?"

"I saw them not. He was dressed as a civilian when I met him. He did not tell me he was a Jedi until I accepted the job. But I could tell at a glance that he was in prime fighting condition."

Shiro smiled coyly. "Was he handsome?"

"Shiro! That's an improper question! But… yes. I suppose he was rather… handsome. Not that I cared. "

Shiro smiled. "I lost my Jedi robes long ago." Shiro stood up on the floor and gestured to his dark suit. "This is an imitation, with my own touch." He showed off his fingerless gloves and picked up his odd cap. "And this is just for show. Though not completely." He pulled down his goggles.

Alanna laughed, "Splendid wardrobe choices for a valiant warrior."

Shiro laughed as well then suddenly stopped and looked down. He sighed sadly.

"Alanna…"

Alanna looked at him wonderingly. "Yes, Shiro?"

Shiro slumped against the wall and Alanna went over to him. "What's the point? Even if I can fix myself and the others, the Empire will still exist. And I sense I will still be insane."

Sympathy filled Alanna's eyes. "Hey, you can't just give up. They win for sure that way."

"It seems like they win no matter what. I'm so tired of fighting a losing battle and causing pain to others. Should I just turn myself in?"

"Is that what you want? For them to win? At least this way there is a chance of normalcy."

He spoke honestly to her. "I'm tired of being a puppet. I guess I shouldn't give up. Obi-Wan and the other Jedi, they wouldn't give up. Marik wouldn't either."

Alanna suddenly felt strange. She realized she was actually beginning to truly care about her cargo. _Well, I've done it! I've broken my number one rule! I got emotionally involved. I should've known this would have happened eventually. Now things will get really dangerous. _

She now spoke fervently to Shiro. "Do you really think he can help you?"

He looked up at her. "Maybe. Yes, I guess. If he's the same as I remember, he's a bit of a rule-breaker so there's no way of telling for sure. But I know this. He trusts me. And I trust him."

"That's a start."

"I guess it's good to have people you can trust in this hard galaxy. What about you? Do you have any friends? Anyone you trust?"

Alanna looked away. "I'm a bit of a loner. No family, no friends…"

"Yeah, I can understand that. The Jedi were my family. But I always felt separate from them. Like I belonged elsewhere. Now that they're gone, I feel their absence greatly. I feel like I belong nowhere now. And maybe, in a way, that's a good thing. No ties. More free and independent."

Alanna looked out the window, captivated by his words. "Nothing to tie you down."

Shiro continued, "The universe is yours to seize for yourself. But then, I think of Amelie and how things worked out for her, having friends, and I'm glad for every person I meet. That is, when I'm not in one of my moods."

"Too true. Perchance I may have a confidant after all of this as well."

Shiro smiled. "I'd like that. You're pretty cool, ya know. Heh. Gotta love a girl with a gun."

Alanna winked and whipped her gun out of the holster. She twirled it around her finger with a flourish. "Damn straight!"

"It's good to have tough friends!" Shiro paused. "Alanna, it's strange. I don't enjoy having the frightening visions and all, but at the same time, I feel like the madness suits me, you know? I was always kind of a strange kid. This just amplifies it. I feel like I can see things clearer now. I see the world as it truly is. And I'm learning to control my madness. I'm slowly finding a balance. It's adapting to my personality well. If I can just find a way to not be haunted by these visions of the Jedi being killed and if I can just break Crow's hold on me, I think I can eventually find peace with my state of mind.

I'm not the same Shiro I was 4 years ago but I'm wiser and, in some ways, more mature. Though I act rashly and I'm afraid, I think I can eventually master myself. My time with Mulann has proven that. So, in some ways, I'm glad for what happened. Because of it, I made all kinds of new friends and I have become a more interesting person. Sometimes our curses are also gifts. You know what I mean?"

After a pause, Alanna replied thoughtfully, "I think I do, Shiro. My father used to say, 'That which does not kill us makes us wiser and stronger.' You have become a more complex person because of what you've been through. So as long as you fight off the evil of your problem, I guess you can also appreciate the good of it."

"A tough fighter and a wise counselor, eh? You're more complicated than you may know, Alanna. I like complicated people."

"Me too."

Shiro suddenly had a thought. He lifted an eyebrow. "Alanna?"

"What?"

"I come in darkness, but fill the mind with light. I bring enlightenment to some, while gripping others in the hand of fear. With me it can be a journey of inexplicable joy and sorrow. What I will show you will often be unreachable. Journey with me and what you see may haunt you forever. Journey with me and you may never want to return home. Journey with me and you will never know when it will end. What am I?"

Alanna frowned. "Aw, come on! Riddles? Hmm. Let's see." She thought for a moment. "I hate guessing games. Just tell me!"

"Fine. The answer is dreams."

"That was way too vague. That could have been anything."

"That's the point. The best riddles are supposed to keep you guessing."

"Well, we had both better start dreaming. We should get some sleep before we get to Wayland. Come on."

She helped Shiro up off the floor and walked him to his room.

"Good night, 'girl with gun'," Shiro said.

"Sleep well."

She closed his door and headed to her room, reflecting on this strange boy who had changed her life forever.

Wayland was surrounded by dense jungles, which made it a great hiding place for a Jedi. The _Levana _slowed as it entered the atmosphere. Alanna checked her positioning. They were right on target. There was the cliff he had told her she could land on. She switched to manual controls, and brought the ship to a gentle landing on the edge of the cliff. Alanna turned to Shiro, sitting in the cockpit with her, and smiled. "Ready to go, Shiro?"

Shiro swallowed hard and nodded. They would be the only two going out into the jungle that day. Alanna rose from the captain's seat and walked to the hatch of the ship, Shiro following. Soon they were out of the ship and in the humid air of Wayland. Shiro then jumped ahead of Alanna and used his lightsaber to slice through the brush, clearing the path.

Alanna smiled a little. "Thank you, Shiro. I see that chivalry is not completely dead."

Shiro appeared not to have heard her comment. He slowed a little, and spoke, distractedly. "He is near. I can feel him."

Alanna looked at the com unit on her wrist, which had been programmed with the coordinates of the rendezvous location. She nodded. "Yes, the area that Marik wanted us to meet him should be around the next bend in the path." She slowed a little, and turned to look at Shiro. She took a deep breath before she continued. "Are you ready for this, Shiro?"

Shiro nodded at her vehemently. "I'm ready to gain some control. Whatever help Marik can lend to understanding my problems will be welcomed. Plus, he and I are old friends. We know each other well enough for things to go smoothly. What did you think of him when you met him, Alanna? First impressions."

Alanna quirked her eyebrow a little at the question, but sighed softly. "Remember, he was dressed as a civilian when I met him first. I thought that he simply worked for Senator Osma, and that was the persona that he presented at the time. I felt that he was different than the average thug, however. More open, more honest, in a way. That is why I took the job. It was not until after I took it that he revealed the truth." She chuckled softly as she added, "And I will admit that he is a much better looking Jedi than Yoda!"

Shiro chuckled and said, in his best Yoda impersonation, "When 878 years old you are, look as good you will not!"

Alanna laughed, "You have a point. There is a big difference between an 878 year old and a twenty-something year old." Alanna slowed further as they approached another bend in the path. She looked at Shiro before she stated, "He should be in a clearing just around this corner. Are you ready?"

Shiro nodded. "Let's go for it."

Shiro continued down the path and around the bend, as Alanna hung back a little, allowing him to go first. As he turned the corner, he saw a man in his mid-twenties standing in the middle of a clearing. He was dressed in an emerald green Jedi robe, which made his hazel eyes appear green. His reddish-brown hair was cut short, but was falling into his eyes. Those same eyes told the story of all of the horrors and sorrow that had visited this man. But when he saw Shiro, his eyes lit up and he smiled broadly. Marik had not changed much physically but the years had taken their toll on him internally as they had every Jedi.

Marik began walking towards Shiro, as he said in disbelief, "Shiro, is that really you?" Marik stared at Shiro in amazement. He recognized his old friend immediately, yet he noticed how he had grown and Marik was surprised at the young man he had become.

Shiro was silent for a moment as the man hesitated. Shiro held off going to him, almost suspicious. "I cannot be felt or seen but can be touched. I can be found in everybody; my existence is always in debate."

The man smiled as he answered, "Still telling riddles, I see. The answer is the soul."

Shiro smiled broadly. "Marik!" He ran towards him and embraced him in a hug, one which Marik was all too eager to return. Finally, after all these years, they were reunited. It had felt like an eternity. They stood thus for a few moments.

Marik finally found his voice and choked out, "Shiro, I cannot describe what it is like to see you again."

The two separated enough to look each other over. Shiro smirked at Marik. "You look the same, except you've gained some weight."

Marik barked with laughter. "It is all muscle, I swear." He looked Shiro up and down again, and rested a hand on top of Shiro's head in a brotherly gesture. "And you, you've grown a bit since I saw you last…"

Shiro smiled broadly and made a broad gesture that encompassed his thin stature. "I haven't had too many really good meals though. You don't want to know the drudge they prepare on Ord Mantell."

Alanna, standing on the far side of the clearing, chuckled a little at that last statement. She thought back on how little the boy had eaten while on board on ship. But it was Marik that voiced her thoughts. "A teenage boy that doesn't eat what is there in large quantities despite the taste? Impossible!"

Shiro smiled evilly. "I do hope you prepare some good meals at your house. I saved up my appetite."

Marik could not pass up on the opportunity to goad him. He chuckled and said jokingly, "I learned to cook from Yoda."

Shiro turned slightly green. "Uh-oh. Maybe that's not so good…" His eyes showed that he was joking.

Marik looked over at Alanna, only now having noticed that she was even there. In an effort to continue the jest, he pointed at her and asked, "Maybe she could cook for us, so that I don't poison us all with Yoda's unique take on cuisine?"

Shiro abruptly changed the topic. "Well anyways maybe you could help me build up some of that 'muscle' weight myself." He poked Marik playfully in the stomach. "We are going to train, right?"

Marik's demeanor became more serious. He nodded. "Of course, Shiro. I promised that I would train you, long ago. And now, your training begins…"

Shiro's face lit up. "Well, I have so much I want to tell you. But I'm sure Alanna has filled you in on some of the info, right?"

Marik nodded and gestured towards Alanna. "Yes, Miss Sitara and I have been in contact quite frequently since she first found you. And by the way, Alanna…" He turned to look at Alanna. His look expressed deep gratitude. "Well done." Without understanding why, Alanna smiled and blushed.

Marik looked back at Shiro. "There is much further to tell. But let me begin by saying it is a blessing to see that you escaped the Empire's capture and evaded any dreaded hunters."

Alanna nodded in agreement and nervously muttered, "Well, nearly evaded…" She looked around the clearing and found a convenient stump to sit on.

Shiro continued, "Did Alanna tell you about the trouble we had? We may have some trouble headed our way in a couple of days."

Marik sighed. "Yes, she explained about the... complications that you have encountered. And I have heard about what the Empire has done to you. I'm so sorry, Shiro. But I promise you I will work hard to keep you on level ground. From what I've been told, you have been fighting the madness daily and the Empire's hold on you. I will do my best to try to heal you through time. I promise that we will face the coming challenges together, as we were meant to, though I do not know all of what to expect."

"It's the Empire, Marik," Shiro answered. "We have to be ready. They've got this special ops guy after me. And it's only a matter of time before the Emperor himself finds out everything." Shiro finished.

Marik nodded expectantly. "I expected as much. I have heard that you have brought many friends with you. With their help, we will protect you. I know you are planning on freeing other younglings. I believe this is a noble cause but we must be patient and make sure you are safe and well-prepared first."

Shiro looked at Marik questioningly. "How are your fighting skills? I hope you have kept up your practice."

Marik whipped out his lightsaber and ignited it in a move that was nearly too quick to be seen. "I think they are not too shabby." He grimaced. "I've also learned the cruder art of the blaster since I saw you last…"

Shiro whistled in approval. "Wizard!" His mind turned to another topic. "She's not here yet but there's someone I want you to meet again. Her name's Mulann Fennix. You may have heard of her. The Tusken Jedi. She's the one who's trained me for three years and kept me safe on Dantooine."

Marik concentrated for a moment. "Ah, yes, Mulann. I believe that Obi Wan and Anakin told me about her, although I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure. It sounds like I owe her a great debt, however." He shook his head in an effort to clear his thoughts. "I am being a terrible host." He motioned to both Shiro and Alanna. "My home is just a little ways up the path. Please follow me and we can talk further in comfort."

Still smiling, Marik turned up the path and gestured for the others to follow. He glanced over his shoulder to assure they were following. Shiro was nearly on his heels. Alanna then slowly rose from the stump and followed the other two deeper into the jungle of Wayland, towards Marik's home, and towards destiny.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 6_

Marik headed away from the kitchen, where his feast was almost finished baking to check on his guests. Suddenly a hand pulled him aside into a dark corner. Alanna had grabbed him and now looked at him fiercely.

"Now, you listen to me, Jedi Marik Horn!" she said. "Shiro has spoken very highly of you and obviously has all his hopes set on your guidance. You had better not disappoint him or you will have me to deal with!"

Marik cocked an eyebrow. "Why do you care?"

Alanna hesitated for a moment. "I… I just do!"

Marik smiled and spoke seriously. "I assure you, Hunter Alanna Sitara, I will do my best. I think I know Shiro well and I will do all in my power to guide him and keep him from harm. Please try and have faith in me."

Alanna remained frowning and said, "We will see." She released him and let him pass down the hall to the guest room.

Marik walked into the guest room, followed by Alanna. The crews of the _Levana _and the _Star Searcher _were gathered around the table. Shiro held a bottle of non-alcoholic blue milk to calm his nerves.

"Dinner is almost ready, my friends," Marik said. "'Tis been long since guests have graced my home. You are welcome."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Master Marik," said Mulann. "It's been a long time."

"I owe you a great debt, Mulann Fennixx. Thank you for keeping Shiro safe."

"It was my pleasure, Marik." She put her arm around Shiro. "Shiro is a unique youth and we had many great adventures together. And now my companions and I will help you take care of him."

"I am grateful for your help. I am grateful also that you and other Jedi survived the massacre."

"I was shocked when I heard what had happened. Especially in the Temple, to the Younglings such as Shiro. With Amelie's help, Shiro and I have evaded death and capture many times. Now there are very few of us Jedi left in the galaxy. We must cling close when we find one another. Because we are so rare, we must treasure the presence of each Jedi we meet."

Marik turned to Kyra and Alexia. "It is wonderful to see you two again. I am glad you were able to fight off the Empire's control over you and follow Shiro to me. I will protect you along with Shiro."

Alexia and Kyra smiled and bowed politely.

From the kitchen came a bell sound. "Ah, dinner's ready."

Marik went into the kitchen and came back out with a tray of dinner plates. He set the tray down on the table in the center of the room.

"You may partake," he announced.

As the guests ate, Marik watched Alanna closely, studying her. _What did she mean when she spoke to me like that just now?_, he thought. _ Let us see where her loyalties truly lie._

Marik went over to a basket in the corner and pulled out a small bag. He held it in one hand for all to see. Suddenly, he spoke loudly towards Alanna. "Hunter!"

Everyone turned to look at Marik. Alanna's eyes went wide. "Yes?" she said uncertainly.

"Here you are." He tossed the bag to her and she caught it. He directed a cruel smirk at her. "Here is the money you are owed for the job. Take it and go. Your services are no longer required."

Alanna was shocked at his rudeness. She looked at the bag incredulously and gave Marik a hard glance. Then she realized something. He was testing her. Trying to see where she stood and what her position was, now that her work was technically done.

Alanna tossed the bag back to Marik. "You can keep your pay. I intend to stick around and see that you don't fail Shiro. I'm going to stay and continue to protect Shiro. That's my job now."

Marik nodded and fought off a smile. He knew he could trust her now. He knew now that she would help him. And he could use all the help he could get right now. There was an uneasy silence in the room. All the guests were staring at Alanna and Marik.

Shiro coughed and broke the silence. "So, Marik, about that training…"

Marik looked back at Shiro, grateful for the icebreaker. Alanna looked away and the other guests directed their attention toward Shiro.

"So, Marik, are you going to teach me Force crush and Force shield and Shock wave? I want some new powers."

Marik lifted his eyebrows in surprise. Then, in his best Yoda impression, he said, "Such power you crave?"

Amelie laughed. "Sound like Yoda you do. Miss him you make me."

Marik turned. "You knew Master Yoda?"

Amelie nodded. "During the Clone Wars. I was young and foolish then. The Separatists and the Black Sun had paid me to help smuggle a toxic spice into the Jedi Temple to kill all the Jedi. At first I followed orders for the money."

She looked over at Mulann. "But when the Black Sun kidnapped Mulann and tried to torture her, I realized where my allegiance truly belonged. I turned on my employers and helped the Jedi take 'em down. It was there, on Syll Vania, that I met Yoda and General Kenobi and other Jedi. They were so kind and wise. My perspective about the Jedi and the Republic changed forever after that. I may be a criminal, but I know right from wrong. After the War, I soon realized how great the Republic had truly been and then saw what a travesty the universe had become under the Empire."

Shiro cut in. "The Empire can't last forever, Ame. There has to be a way to beat them. We just have to use all methods necessary." He turned back to Marik. "I'm serious, Marik, I'm gonna need some major skills to defeat the Empire's minions and kill all in my path. I can't let anything stop me. It's what I promised Kyra. Tell him, Kyra. We gotta be ruthless."

Kyra wanted to spring up and shout, "That's right!" But she felt uncertain and shy in Marik's presence so she didn't say anything. At the same time, she looked in Shiro's eyes and saw something wild and fierce, worse than the Empire had tried to make Alexia and her. Something dark and dangerous. She realized what he could become if he followed his intended path, and she feared it.

Marik saw this same fierceness and worried about the effect the Empire had had on Shiro. Now that he was Shiro's new master, he decided to speak with authority and slight reproach.

"Shiro, what you are talking about borders on the Dark Side. Careful where you plant your feet on this slippery slope..."

"Again with the warnings. That's all I hear from Jedi. Be careful this and that. What's wrong with wanting power? And what's wrong with wanting to slay one's enemies. I'd say I've earned it."

Marik sighed and gave Shiro a serious look. "Shiro, all I warn is that you need to be sure of the motives of your actions."

"And tell me, Marik, truly, what is wrong with the Dark Side if it can bring me what I want? I won't turn over to the Empire. I merely wish to make them suffer. Maybe I can control the dark."

Kyra looked at Shiro with concern and asked, "Shiro, do you really want to become what they wanted us to be?"

Marik answered Shiro, "Killing in battle is one thing. But killing in anger, rage, is another. It is what destroyed... I have said too much." Marik went silent. He thought to himself of dark secrets of the past.

"No. Go on, Marik. No more secrets. You were about to speak of Master Skywalker, were you not?"

Alexia and Kyra looked at each other. Alexia fondly recalled the former Jedi and muttered his name, "Ani…"

Amelie started. "You mean Anakin Skywalker? What happened to him? I knew him before…"

Marik lowered his head. "Anakin Skywalker, for reasons I do not yet fully understand, began to let anger and hate control him. He turned to the Dark Side. It was he who aided the Sith Lord to eliminate the Jedi and take control of the galaxy. He personally oversaw the siege of the Jedi Temple, in which many Jedi Masters and Younglings were killed. He now runs the Empire at Palpatine's side as Darth Vader."

Mulann gasped and put her hand over her lips. "Oh no! How terrible!"

Kyra bit her lip to fight back tears. "We knew him before he turned..."

Marik looked up. "I had forgotten that you knew of his treachery."

Shiro's face turned grim. "I know. I should have seen it coming. I know of it first-hand. He failed himself. He should have remembered his commitment. He should have remembered his friends. Especially before he killed mine."

Shiro put a hand out to comfort Kyra. "But I swear this." He raised his fist in the air. "He and all his kind will pay, even if I have to turn the Dark Side against them. The fools!"

Alexia looked at Shiro with fear. "Just be careful, Shiro."

Marik spoke again, "If one tries to fight fire with fire, one will only end up burnt."

Shiro answered back quickly, "But Crow says that...," then stopped suddenly. He hesitated in fear and shame.

Marik perked an eyebrow. "Alanna told me some about this 'Crow,' Shiro. You needn't be ashamed. Tell me what he says. I wish to know of our enemy so we can defeat him."

"Marik, Crow says that the Dark Side can be controlled. It just needs steadiness and clear objective. Just because the Empire programmed him into me doesn't mean I can't use him to my benefit. I already have. Crow's the one who showed me how to hack into the Imperial net. He also advised me to kill all in my path at the station. Frankly I don't see much wrong with any of that."

Marik shook his head. "Shiro, what had they done to you? Most if not all of the people on that station did you no harm. And you killed them in cold blood…"

"It doesn't matter! It..." Shiro sighed. "There is a way for you to better understand." He paused. His eyes went wide. "We must undergo a journey of the mind. You can't just watch, you have to see. Return to source. You must see Crow for yourself. Only then can you judge."

Marik nodded and slowly rose from the couch. He realized the next step. It would not be easy but it had to be done. He was not sure if he had mastered his technique well enough to fully help exorcise the demon program "Crow" but he had to try, even though he might fail.

"A mind trance then. It is a skill that I have not practiced in a while..."

Kyra cut in. "Is it dangerous?"

Marik nodded uneasily. "As are a great many other things. Your group being here is dangerous. But if I can help Shiro, I must try." He turned back towards Shiro. "It is a skill I know, but I use very little. With some effort I can manage the task."

Marik looked around at the guests. "I'm afraid Shiro and I must leave you for a bit. I must try to help heal his mind with a Jedi technique I know. Please stay here and do not disturb us."

Alanna stepped forward. "Shiro?"

Shiro looked back at her, reassuringly. "It's alright, Alanna."

Alanna nodded and backed off. Shiro followed Marik into the meditation room. Shiro and Marik stood facing each other. They calmed themselves, letting their minds focus on one another. According to an ancient Jedi technique, they let themselves feel as one. Shiro sat down on a platform on the ground in front of Marik.

Marik took a deep breath. "Is your mind clear?"

He folded his legs in an akimbo position and closed his eyes. "Yes. When you're ready, Marik."

Marik nodded. "Very well." He sat down in front of Shiro and held Shiro's hands in his own. He looked at Shiro and said, "Then let's begin." Shiro gripped Marik's hands and Marik used the Force to penetrate Shiro's mind. The mind trance began…

Force energy flowed between Marik and Shiro. Their minds became connected and became as one. As he peered into Shiro's subconscious, Marik began to see strange visions transmitted from Shiro's mind.

Marik saw complete blackness and then a red light shone through, becoming brighter and brighter. Then he heard the raspy cawing of a crow and he heard Shiro saying, "Blade of red, all are dead."

The red light became a blade and the sound of an old man cackling resonated. A big black crow swooped straight at Marik and a voice cried out, _"Foolish Jedi!" _A green lightsaber appeared in Marik's hands and he tried to deflect the bird but the bird passed through him.

Then he turned and saw a strange sight. He had no idea how Shiro could know of this. He saw Palpatine, or Sidious, striking down the Jedi Council. Then Marik saw a vision of Shiro invading the base on Ord Mantell, striking mercilessly. A man crawled on the floor, crying, "Mercy!" Shiro sliced him straight down the middle with his lightsaber. He turned around with hate in his eyes. Marik was horrified at the sight of the visions.

As he saw these images from Shiro's tormented mind, he began to comprehend the horrible truth of the damage the Empire had done to Shiro and what Alanna had meant when she had said he was now insane.

The voice of Sidious spoke, _"The path to the Dark is the path to power. Use your hate." _Shiro's voice echoed him. Sidious spoke again. _"The Jedi will never give you enough power to defeat your enemies."_

Marik shouted, "Shiro, that's not true! The Light is the path that will give life, not destroy it! Let go of the hate and anger! Embrace the Light!"

He heard Shiro again. "Bring the kids. See the show," he said. "It's gonna be a bloody circus." He saw a sight of the halls of the Jedi Temple littered with fallen Jedi bodies. Shiro crawled through the bodies. Shiro looked up and uttered a loud cry, "NO!"

A gigantic crow enveloped everything in black. Sidious spoke one final time, _"CUT THEM DOWN!" _

The vision ended. Shiro and Marik both woke with a start.

Shiro shuddered and said, "Now you understand. Two by two, blade of blue. Blade of red, all are dead. No end to attack, they will come back."

Still in shock over what he had seen, Marik gathered up his courage and spoke protectively, "Not if I can help it. Shiro, you can defeat them."

"With the Dark?"

"No, with the Light."

Shiro trembled. "How?"

Marik took a deep breath and coughed. "They want you to use the Dark. Doing so will only play right into their hands. Forswearing the Dark for the Light is the first step towards their inevitable defeat."

"But what about Crow?"

Marik thought for a moment then answered, "There is an ancient technique that might just take care of him, if you have the courage to try it."

"But Crow says that you are weak. He says perhaps we should try each other in single combat to test our true strength. He seems wise."

Marik rose in frustration. "Stop thinking about what Crow says! What do you think? You have seen me in practice. You know my battle records. You know my very character. Do you believe me weak?"

Shiro whimpered a little and lowered his head in shame. "I don't know what to think anymore. Marik, I don't know who to trust. The whole galaxy is against me. I've been isolated in so many ways. You can't understand. Can you?"

"I can try to understand, Shiro. That is all that anyone can do. In a way I have been isolated as well. Especially after Master Garen..." Marik briefly turned his head away to hide the anguish in his eyes.

"You must know the pain of being cut adrift then. You do realize how many are against us now. It is no longer safe to be a Jedi anywhere. We are now cursed by those we protected. Everyone has turned against us."

Marik turned back to face Shiro. "I know. I have lost everything dear to me. I thought that I lost you as well."

Shiro looked back up at Marik with tears of sympathy in his eyes. He ran to him and hugged him close. "They took me and broke me, Marik. They turned me into a puppet! A toy! I was all alone! All alone! I was lucky to escape. And now they will come back."

Marik shook with emotion. "I should have taken you with me...It's my fault!"

Shiro wept, "For the longest time while I was captured I believed that all were dead. That I was alone. My heart thrilled when I met other Jedi like me. I can't tell you what it means to see you again...my brother."

Overcome with emotion, Marik began to sob as well. "If I had known you lived, I would have come for you. No matter the cost. You are…family."

Meanwhile, Alanna stood outside the door to the room and heard noises. _What the frack is going on? _she wondered. _Should I go in or stay out?_

Shiro sniffed away his sobs. He looked up at Marik again. "You say we can defeat them with the Light. Will you show me how? So far, only Dark seemed powerful to me."

Marik breathed deeply and controlled his emotions. "Yes, there are techniques that can help you. I will help you all that I can. Remember your history. Light has defeated Dark before. We can do it again."

Shiro spoke seriously, "Crow will not be easily silenced."

Marik nodded and attempted to feign confidence. "I have something in mind for Crow..."

"Things are going to get much worse. They're coming for us. Something draws near. I can feel it."

"Yes, I feel the storm as well. But together, with your friends, we can weather it."

Shiro sighed. He was calm now. Well, mostly calm. "Thank you, Marik. I know you are not weak. Else you would not have survived the Clone Wars."

Marik's eyes lit up. He spoke in an almost childlike manner. "Do you want to see my new scar?"

Shiro grinned, his sadness abating. "Only if I can show you mine!"

Marik smiled and said, "Deal!"

"You go first."

Marik chuckled. "Well, you've seen most of them already. There are two new ones."

Marik pulled back the left sleeve of his robe to reveal a long blaster burn on his upper arm. "This was my last battle scar, on Acherin. That one almost got me."

Shiro pulled back his shirt to show his shoulder with a permanent dark patch and scar across his left shoulder. "A parting gift from Tremayne."

Marik stood up and put his foot on the chair. "This one is a little embarrassing. When I first moved to this planet, I was unaware of the local flora. I stepped on something that appeared harmless. It was a trap plant, and it nearly took my leg off." He raised his robe enough to show the row of bite mark scars halfway up his calf. They were all the way around the leg.

Shiro's eyes went wide. "Whoa!" He smirked. "Okay...I don't think I can beat that."

Marik smirked back. "I should hope not. Be careful where you put your feet in the jungle."

Shiro paused for a moment playfully. "Of course this is not counting the mental scars inflicted by the Empire and their scientists."

Marik sketched a bow. "I bow to your superior 'scarrage.'"

They both chuckled like young boys and two old friends. Marik saw that, deep down, despite the years that had passed and the trials they had faced, he and Shiro were at heart still the same fun-loving, pure-hearted youths they had once been. They each took what solace they could in this calm before the storm.

In the space above Wayland, a Star Destroyer approached the planet. And on the bridge of the ship stood the dark presence of Antinnis Tremayne. He stood by the window, intently watching the planet and pondering his next move against Shiro and his band. He was tired of the mistakes of his underlings. This time he would personally take care of this matter, and finally bring an end to this foolish conflict with the renegade Shiro. _Yes_,Tremayne thought. _And Shiro would make a fine apprentice for me_. He also reflected how recapturing Shiro would gain him more favor in the Emperor's eyes. He smiled wickedly when he thought how this would insure that he would outshine the proud Armand Isard and especially his scheming daughter.

An Imperial officer came up to Tremayne. "Sir, your agent has landed on the planet and is heading toward the location you assigned. Shall we follow him?"

Tremayne shook his head. "No. I have other plans to execute should he fail. We have him bugged and we will trace his position and wait for Marik to contact Senator Osma. When this mission is over, I plan to have all my problems dealt with, including that traitorous senator."

"Yes sir." The officer walked away.

Tremayne turned back to face the window and continued to contemplate his dread plan of action.

Lightsaber training was an exercise that always cemented the bond between Jedi Master and padawan. As the apprentice learned to move his blade in harmony with his trainer's and showcased his own individuality by occasionally making a strike that made its mark, the apprentice and his master became connected as one being helping prepare both of them to use the Jedi's sacred weapon to defend themselves in the real world. Shiro and Marik were long overdue for such an experience. And so, the two of them walked into a clearing in the woods outside Marik's house.

A more perfect setting could not be asked for. Wild birds called and animals howled. Dripping water came down here and there from deep green trees to the ground. The jungle was alive with energy that Shiro absorbed to prepare him for his exercise.

Shiro and Marik smiled at each other playfully. They had their lightsabers set on training mode so no wounds would occur. They thought it was going to be a harmless battle. They circled each other, trying to watch for each other's weak moments.

Shiro spoke up first, grinning. "Okay, Marik. I'm ready for the thunder."

Marik grinned back, proud to experience this with his brother as an apprentice to him. "Let's see just how skilled you are with that lightsaber of yours."

Shiro was about to rush Marik with a lunge when he suddenly stopped. He sensed a tremor in the Force. More importantly, he sensed the Dark Side. He looked up. "Foul fiend, descend."

Marik looked around, sensing the presence as well. Suddenly, Melkior swooped down from his perch in the trees to the ground. Shiro and Marik turned to face him.

Melkior looked at Shiro and said, "Shiro, come with me now. I am here to save you from this liar."

Marik was on his guard, lightsaber still ignited. He immediately sensed the Dark Side in this newcomer. "Shiro, is this a friend of yours?" he asked.

And as was often the case, Shiro began to go into another trance of madness right at a moment of conflict, confrontation, or the worst time possible. His trance seemed to be caused by Melkior's mere presence.

He began to walk from side to side, swinging his lightsaber back and forth. "Never learned his schoolmaster's lesson with all the schoolchildren in a ring...ring...ring…ring."

Marik stood perplexed at the stranger and Shiro's sudden reaction of madness in his presence. He kept a wary eye on Shiro and spoke to the stranger. "I am not used to strangers questioning my honor."

"Friend or foe?" Shiro said. "All's one said the vulture. All's one." Seeming entranced once again, Shiro turned toward Melkior, moving slowly with his lightsaber extended.

Melkior kept his attention focused on Shiro. "Shiro, please listen."

Shiro moved his head from side to side in a deranged fashion. "Listening… It's a fun, funny game, without all the rules or any of the bothersome parts. But still, there are sides. You have to choose a side, Melkior. Choose a side. Then we can be free to play with all our other friends as they come squirming out of the earth."

Melkior scowled. "I'm on the side I've always been on. Mine."

"That's a lie!" Marik shouted in sudden fury. "Shiro told me about you, Melkior. You side with the Empire and you want us to side with the Empire as well. But I will never side with the Empire! Not after what they did!"

"Yeah, well, I won't let Shiro be turned into a deceitful, cowardly, foolish killer like any other Jedi. Not after what you did to us!"

Marik started. "What are you talking about?"

"Choose a side," Shiro continued. He moved further toward Melkior with a grim smile on his face. "Fight or die!" He suddenly twitched his head as if in pain. "Unh, no! What is…?"

Melkior ignited his saber and held it at the ready. He spoke with deep anger, recalling terrible memories of the past. "The Jedi are all liars and murderers!"

Shiro and Marik both switched their lightsabers off training mode. A moving triangle formed as Shiro forced Melkior to move back and Marik moved forward, ready to support and defend Shiro should he foolishly attack Melkior, as he sensed that he would. An eerie silence fell over the glen that would soon become a battlefield.

Marik was skeptical of Melkior's statement. He remained on his guard. "And what is the basis of your grand assumption?" he queried.

Melkior spoke with conviction. "A man never forgets the faces of his family's killers."

Marik looked at Melkior with disbelief. "You have to be mistaken. Shiro, don't listen to him!"

"No, listen! I remember that day on Bogden. Jango came to assist us in our fight but we were slaughtered by the Jedi!"

Shiro suddenly looked at Marik strangely as if he were far away. He turned back to look at Melkior. "You want me, Melkior? You're gonna have to fight to get me. I'm waiting to see the power of your Dark Side. Show me what the Light fails at."

Marik searched his mind for the conflict corresponding to Melkior's words. He had trouble concentrating on Shiro for a moment. Then he realized Melkior was speaking of the disastrous conclusion to the Mandalorian Wars and the unfortunately treacherous role the Jedi had played in it. He looked back at Shiro and realized that Shiro's resolve in the Light was wavering under the influence of this persuasive man with a vendetta of vengeance.

"Shiro, don't do it!" he cried out. "You must resist. Do not be tempted by the Dark Side!"

Melkior continued, "I remember. I hate the Jedi. They… They murdered my two sisters, my wife and my children! We didn't do anything. We were minding our own business when the Jedi planned their attack."

Melkior turned towards Shiro. "Shiro, follow me please. The Jedi pretend nobility but they are wolves in sheep's clothing. They are weak and their teachings always betray you. Don't surrender to these deceivers!"

"Shiro, don't listen to him," Marik said. "He does not know of what he speaks."

Ignoring Marik, Shiro advanced slowly towards Melkior. Marik moved forward to protect his apprentice from going too far. Melkior smiled. _Shiro thinks he is cornering me, _he thought. _That's just what I want him to think. _Melkior moved slowly back, drawing Shiro out.

"My sisters are gone! My wife and children are gone!" Melkior spoke fiercely. "What will bring back the memory of Ami' and Kia?"

Marik answered him vehemently. "And I was only a child at that time, in no way responsible for the death of your family. You, however, were of grown age when you undoubtedly helped the Empire destroy those who were like family to me!"

Shiro bent over and began shaking all over, signaling the onslaught of another of his mad attacks. Marik and Melkior both glanced over at him with fear, realizing how unpredictable and dangerous the situation was about to become. Marik tried to speak to Shiro to calm him but it was apparent that it was already too late.

Shiro looked up with a strange intensity at the both of them. He murmured, "What I want to be... What I want you to see… See me..."

Losing all control, Shiro suddenly rushed at Melkior, slashing with his blade. Melkior's eyes went wide and he blocked as soon as he could. The two combatants went back and forth, each of them bearing a dread and a hidden admiration for the other. This was the chance they had been waiting for to test each other's strength. At times it looked like Shiro, with his youthful agility and his mad fury, had the upper hand. Yet Melkior held his own with his aged wisdom and experience.

In shock, Marik cried out, "No, Shiro, don't!"

This was exactly what Marik had been afraid of. He had hoped that Shiro and he would have had more time together to calm his mind before they encountered one of the Empire's dark agents. He feared this would undo all his hopes and push Shiro over the edge. He rushed towards the two duelers to get between them.

Marik's blade met Melkior's. Melkior snarled in anger, "Leave us, dar'jeti!"

Melkior pushed Marik out of the way viciously. Marik fell and rolled across the ground. Shiro didn't seem to mind and continued to attack. Marik recovered quickly and rushed back into the fray. He engaged Melkior, slashing with great strength, drawing upon all his training. It was not easy. Melkior had spent a long time honing his skills and Shiro kept getting in the way.

Alanna was standing on guard on the balcony of Marik's patio, overlooking the forest. She suddenly heard the commotion and looked through the trees to see the three combatants. She ran to get her blaster.

Melkior pushed his blade up against Marik and then twirled, slicing. "Jeti!" he growled. "I will have my blood revenge!"

Marik blocked quickly, however he was beginning to lose strength. "I had nothing to do with that!"

Marik did his best to block Shiro from attack and to completely take on Melkior. He was afraid that Shiro might get hurt but even more afraid because he sensed that if Shiro continued to kill in anger, Crow would win and Shiro would fall to the Dark.

Shiro watched Marik fully engage Melkior from the side and felt a deep swell of anger and jealousy. He shook his head and unable to resist, gave in to his anger. He pointed his hand at Marik and Force pushed him hard into a tree, knocking the air out of him. Marik fell on the ground and closed his eyes. Melkior watched this with surprise, terror and relief altogether.

Shiro stood silently facing Melkior, a look of grim determination on his face. "Shiro, please," Melkior said. "I'm here to help you. The Jedi are fools. You know this." Shiro simply twirled his saber in response.

Marik stumbled a little as he attempted to regain his breath. He felt like his ribs might be bruised or even broken. With effort, he lifted his head and looked at Shiro. His voice was cracked and faint. He cried out as best he could, "Shiro, don't let him turn you! Fight it, not him!"

Just at that moment, Alanna arrived over a nearby hilltop. She pointed her blaster at Melkior, preparing to fire. Then she saw Marik slumped on the ground. She cried out, "Marik!"

Melkior turned and saw Alanna. He yelled at her, "Jeti cow!" He unleashed a wave of Force lightning straight at her. Unable to block the attack, she was hurtled through the air and landed several feet. Her head hit a log when she landed, knocking her out cold.

Shiro cried out, "Alanna!" and looked back at Melkior with rage. "You're going down, Melkior."

Melkior turned back to look at Shiro and smiled wickedly. "Alright. Come on then!"

Melkior jumped into the dense jungle and sped away. Baited, Shiro immediately followed, slicing through trees and vines and using the Jedi run ability.

Having used his Force Healing abilities to regain his strength, Marik slowly rose and looked over the glen to see the fallen Alanna. Momentarily torn between following Shiro or helping Alanna, he struggled and looked back and forth from the jungle to Alanna. Finally, he ran over to the unconscious Alanna and began infusing her with his Force energy, restoring her health just enough to keep her alive. He realized he had to work quickly if he was to get to Shiro in time. When he saw she was well enough to breathe with ease, he gently brushed her hair, awaking her.

Alanna looked up at him weakly. He looked brushy to her and the sun gave him an angelic glow. Groggily, she spoke, "Marik…?"

Marik breathed heavily, caught in her awestruck gaze. He laid Alanna's blaster in her hand. "Can you shoot it if you need to?" She nodded groggily. He looked back at the jungle in the direction Shiro had run. "I'll be back."

Marik rose, grabbed his lightsaber and, with great effort, ran through the jungle towards Shiro.

Meanwhile, in a low clearing Shiro and Melkior confronted each other, circling. Shiro ran and jumped through the air, stabbing straight towards Melkior's chest. Melkior kicked him to the ground. Shiro shook all over. Melkior laughed.

Shiro wiped the blood from his mouth and propelled himself off the ground into the air. He twirled round and round sideways and dove straight at Melkior, knocking him back. Melkior slashed with his blade, up and down and all around, with Shiro moving quicker than lighting.

Shiro pointed his hand at Melkior's lightsaber and the hilt exploded. Melkior cried out in pain. Shiro then knocked Melkior off balance and Force threw him around and around, ramming him into the ground and raising him up again and then ramming him down harder. Melkior could barely breathe but he still held his composure, taking some joy in the power Shiro was displaying and the hatred he was exacting from him. He felt he was taking on his most worthy opponent ever. Shiro threw Melkior down and put his foot on his hand, crushing it. With the Force, he put strong pressure on Melkior, pushing him into the ground.

He spoke to Melkior with hate. "What did you do to Alanna?"

Melkior spat out blood and laughed. "Go ahead and kill me. But remember this isn't over. The Empire will keep coming for you. They will turn you or kill you eventually. You will never be able to save the other Younglings. Your cause is lost."

Shiro raised his blade in the air. _"Now is your moment!"_ Crow spoke to him. _"Show your full power and commit yourself to the darkness!" _

Marik burst through the clearing at the top of the slope. He saw Shiro over Melkior. He now saw darkness in Shiro that he'd hoped he never would see and he knew that Shiro must not finish this fight. There had to be another solution. He yelled as loud as he could, "SHIRO, NO!"

Once again, Shiro wavered. He heard Marik, his brother, calling, bringing him back to his senses. He shook his head and then looked at Melkior. He raised his hand and Force threw Melkior into a row of trees, knocking him out. Marik thanked the Force and ran up to Shiro.

Shiro saw Marik coming up to him. "Marik, I'm sorry! It was Crow! Crow told me to push you out of the way. He tempted me to prove my strength. I couldn't fight it!"

Marik put his hand on Shiro's shoulder. Shiro feared one of Marik's rare hard looks of consternation but instead Marik greeted him with a smile. "It's alright, Shiro," he said. "You did well. Though I think I'll feel that push for quite a while." He sighed and rubbed his chest a little. "But you did fight the desire to kill him. You need help but I feel you can beat this. I know you can!"

Shiro smiled and nodded. "Yes. I saw you and I woke up. How's Alanna? Is she...?"

Marik shook his head. "She was only knocked out. She's awake now and later I'll heal her wounds. She'll be fine."

Shiro looked over at the unconscious Melkior. He turned back to Marik with an air of respect. He was now ready to follow whatever course Marik suggested. "What do you suggest we do about him, Master?"

Marik paused. He realized this was a test. A test to see if he was ready to pose a wise solution to a complex moral dilemma. This was a critical moment and Marik searched his mind for a fitting solution. Finally he arrived at it. They would see justice done and not get their hands dirty. It was the Jedi way.

"Let's take him to Senator Osma. He can arrest him for 'disturbing the peace' since technically he did attack us."

"Will that charge hold in an Imperial court since he is an Imperial agent?"

Marik sighed. "Probably not, but it will take a while for them to figure out he is an Imperial agent." He added with a grin, "Especially if we gag him."

Shiro nodded. "Then that is what we must do. Then we'll go back and check on Alanna?"

Marik nodded back as he cut some vines from a nearby tree. "Yes, that is the plan. Here, help me tie him up and we'll get him back to the ship."

"Yes, Master." Shiro helped tie the vines around Melkior. When he finished, he pulled out his comlink. "I'll call Amelie, so she and Frell can come help us."

"Good idea." Marik tied the last knot around Melkior's head and brushed himself off. "Then let's get him to Alanna's ship."

Shiro looked down at the insensible Melkior. "He was trying draw out my hatred. I can't believe I let him draw me out like that. What was I thinking?"

Marik smiled and put a comforting hand on Shiro's shoulder. "You are young and a little reckless, like a young Padawan I once knew." He winked at him.

Shiro smiled back at Marik. He knew he could always trust his brother.

Marik chuckled softly, "And at least now I know that you are quite skilled with that lightsaber of yours."


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 7_

In the game room of the_ Levana_, Mulann and Frell helped Marik lift Alanna onto a hover-gurney. Alexia and Kyra were staying back at Marik's house. Meanwhile, Amelie locked the unconscious Melkior in a nearby cortosis cage and set about watching him with blaster ready.

Marik was breathing heavily with his nervousness and passion. "Thanks, Frell. I can take it from here. She needs healing that only I can provide."

Frell looked at Alanna and then back at Marik sarcastically. "I'm sure she does."

Marik frowned. "Not now, okay." He rushed the gurney down the ship hall. _Great! Just great! _he thought. _Now I've done it! I can sense her getting worse! Her breathing is becoming labored and she has several internal injuries! And it's all because of me! She was trying to save me! This is just terrible! I have to save her! Oh please, Force, let her be okay!_

Marik grasped Alanna's hand as she writhed on the gurney, mumbling incoherently. Shiro watched them head down the hall, making impassioned fists with his hands. He blamed himself as well.

Mulann came up to Shiro and put her hands on his shoulders. "It's okay, Shiro. I know how you feel. You blame yourself and you are filled with regret and guilt. I felt the same way when my husband, Korba, was killed. But you must not blame yourself for what you cannot prevent. These things happen. You must draw upon your inner strength when unfortunate events occur."

Shiro nodded. "I know, Mulann. You are wise. I can always count on you for good advice and counsel. It's just that Alanna is suffering and it's all my fault. She is suffering; you are all paying for my cause. It shouldn't have to be your burden to bear."

Mulann knelt down to face him. "Shiro, we all took on this cause when we agreed to follow you. We are prepared to pay the price because we believe that no other Youngling should continue to suffer as you have suffered. Besides, when the right choice is clear, you must carry on and fight the good fight, regardless of the cost. As Jedi, we do these things because they are ultimately worth the suffering, because of the good we can do."

Shiro smiled uneasily. "You are a good teacher, Mulann. Thank you."

Mulann smiled back. "And you are a good student."

Shiro looked over at Amelie, who was sitting on her post, the couch, watching over Melkior intently. Shiro chuckled. "Everything secure, Ame?"

Ame was slightly startled. "Huh?"

Frell grinned, "There she is, ever-vigilant-Ame."

Amelie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Look, I know I always seem to be on guard but you can't be too careful with these Sith. I've learned that the hard way."

Mulann went over and patted Amelie's shoulder. "Relax, Ame. Things are quiet now. Enjoy the quiet moments while you still can."

Shiro joined Ame and Mulann on the couch. He smiled giddily and turned to Mulann. "Hey Mulann, we've had quite a run so far. This is reminding me of the old times when we were running from the Empire. Remember all the times we had with Daargo, Glou and Juan?"

Mulann smiled fondly and laughed. "How could I forget Juan? He hit on me immediately when I met him!"

Frell chuckled. "He hit on everyone. He was always causing trouble and coming in late and bringing in loose women. But he was a good friend. We used to get drunk, and he'd hit on these Twileks. Because of him, I got hooked up with Ame. And then Tremayne…." Frell cut off and Amelie looked down in sadness.

There was silence for a moment. Then Shiro nudged Mulann again. "Hey, Mulann, would you tell me about being a Tusken Jedi? What was it like?"

Mulann sighed and undid her veil. "It's been awhile since I thought about my master. I try not to dwell on the painful past."

"You told me he got killed by a Dark Jedi. You must miss him."

"Yeah. A Dark Jedi named Nosaj."

"Did things feel worse when you worked as a dancer for Jabba the Hutt? That can't have been fun."

Mulann shivered in disgust at the mention of the slimy and corrupt Jabba. "It wasn't."

"Shiro!" Ame yelled in surprise. "Why would you ask that? It's not very Jedi."

"What? I'm just trying to picture Mulann's past."

"Fortuna hit on me all the time," Mulann said. "I wasn't a human being, I was a slab of meat to that male shutta. Hey, Ame, what did you call Bib that one time?"

Ame answered, using some Huttese, "Ah, you mean, 'Bib Fortuna con justak menke grabbel moggo.'"

Shiro asked, "What's that mean?"

"'Bib Fortuna is just a little gravel maggot.'"

Shiro laughed, "That's funny. He must've been a real bad egg." Shiro sighed and blushed, "I would like to have seen Mulann dance."

Mulann smiled, "Ami, you wouldn't mind if I danced a bit?"

Amelie raised an eyebrow. "I'll get the guitar Boba got me."

Mulann took off her hood and cape and loosened her hair. Amelie searched through a case and pulled out a guitar.

"It must have been great when you met Ame. You too were good friends, eh?" Shiro reflected.

"Yeah, we've been through a lot together. She's always been there for me. Ame, music," Mulann signaled.

Amelie began to play the lilting melody of an old Mando'a song as Mulann moved gracefully to the music. Frell and Shiro sat back on the couch, took a deep breath and relaxed. Amelie strummed more strongly and Mulann danced more passionately. Mulann had learned to express her soul through dance and to feel the music.

Shiro admired the beauty his friend conveyed. "You were too good for Jabba, that's for sure."

Mulann bowed, "Thanks."

"What do you think, Frell?"

Frell was transfixed. "Hmm?"

Amelie looked over at Frell. "Frell! Stop staring at her boobs!" She reached over and sideswiped him.

"Ouch! Sorry!" Frell smiled sheepishly. Amelie smirked, raised an eyebrow, and folded her arms.

Shiro laughed. He could always rely on Mulann, Amelie and Frell to cheer him up. He glanced at the cockpit. "We're coming up on Osma's. Guess I better check on Alanna and Marik and make sure they're not getting into any trouble."

Alanna's quarters were nothing more than a Spartan room with a bunk, a simple desk and chair, and a closet for her clothing. There was a screen in the wall that connected to the main computer. Her room held very little decoration. Alanna was lying on the bunk and Marik was sitting in the chair that he had moved nearby. Gradually, she began to awaken. Marik closed his eyes in relief. It was obvious that Alanna was in quite a bit of pain, and yet she refused to vocalize it.

Alanna's eyes were barely open as she grimaced and said softly, "I feel like I was hit by a landspeeder…"

Marik looked over her battered body. The crack to her head had him especially concerned. But her comment caused him to chuckle. "Nay, t'was worse than a landspeeder. You were hit by Force Lightning." He tried to hide his concern over her injuries. "'Tis not that bad, I'll have you back up and moving in no time." He entered the light trance that was necessary for him to perform Force Healing, and began to heal Alanna.

Alanna noticed almost immediately that her pain was lessening. Her mind became clearer, and she dared a question. "Is he dead?"

Without thinking, Marik answered the question. "No, Shiro is alive…"

Alanna interrupted him and a look of hate flickered across her face. "Not Shiro. Has that monster, that Mandalorian brathu, been destroyed?"

Marik was alarmed by the hatred evident in her tone, but the trance state forced his calm. "Nay, he lives, Alanna. Why do you harbor such hatred towards him? Not because of the lightning, I sense."

Alanna gently sighed and attempted to turn her head away, but the pain in her body was still too great and she was forced to face him. "I'm from Galidraan. My father was the headman of our village, a mining community. When the depression hit, father fought for better wages and safer mining conditions." It was evident that she was fighting back tears. "He was a peaceful protester. He didn't even own a weapon. When the Mandalorians came to kill the Death Watch and put down the 'rebellion', they killed my mother and father. Those monsters murdered my family in cold blood!" Alanna began to sob in earnest.

Marik was concerned by this turn in her, and moved from the chair to sit on the edge of the bed. He took her hand to comfort her and continued to heal her as he listened.

Alanna was still choking back sobs as she began to speak again. "I thought that all of the Mandalorians had been destroyed by the Jedi on Galidraan, with the exception of Jango Fett, who is now dead as well. If I knew even one still remained, I would have hunted him down and destroyed him myself, long ago. That monster deserves to die!" Her tears were gone, and hatred was apparent in her eyes.

Marik continued to hold her hand and spoke in a calm and even tone. "Alanna, I can sense that you are a good, honorable person. Hatred does not become you. Remember, they were following orders, just like the Jedi were when they massacred the Mandalorians. This hatred does not honor the memory of your parents. It is time to let it go." He tentatively reached towards her face to brush away the remaining tears on her cheeks.

Even though Alanna was steadily feeling better physically, her emotions were in turmoil. She slightly turned away from him. "You don't know how I feel."

Marik sighed quietly as he put his finger under her chin and gently turned her face back towards him. "Unfortunately, I know exactly how you feel. I fought in the Clone Wars. And I survived the massacre of the Jedi and the younglings in the Temple. My friends were cut down in battle before my eyes. My mentor was killed on an asteroid with countless other Jedi that were attempting to hide from the Empire. I had left but a day before the attack. And for two years, I believed that the boy I meant to take as a Padawan, who was like a brother to me, was dead."

He paused, visibly saddened. "Yes, dear lady, I know how you feel. I just choose to not be overcome by hatred. What would killing Melkior gain for you? Another mark on your soul is all."

Alanna started a little. "How did you..?"

Marik waved his free hand vaguely as he interrupted her. "I could sense your guilt."

She lowered her head and her voice cracked with her shame. "I am ashamed of what I was forced to do…"

He gently lifted her head up. "Do not let guilt rule you, either. Think not overmuch on your failures. Think instead of successes."

Alanna then looked at his face as if for the first time, and gazed into his eyes. "You..." she hesitated and said questioningly, "Your eyes are a different color today..?"

Marik had changed into his brown civilian security uniform, which made his hazel eyes appear browner in shade. He chuckled, mildly amused. "The curse of hazel eyes. Unlike your bonnie blue eyes, they tend to change colors."

Alanna smiled genuinely at the compliment. Marik still held one of her hands in his, so she laid her free hand on top of that hand.

_I can't believe I'm feeling this way, _Marik thought._ My Jedi teachings advise me to forego attachment. But she's so lovely and strong and courageous. As a Corellian Jedi, I am allowed privileges such as the right to marry, but what does it matter? We're from two different worlds. It would never work out. I can hope, but there seems little point. _

She was feeling considerably better, for the healing process was nearly complete.

All was silent for a few minutes, before Marik spoke again. "Wait, if the Mandalorians, whose primary jobs were being bounty hunters or mercenaries, killed your family, why are you a bounty hunter?"

Alanna sighed and shrugged her shoulder slightly. "I wanted to make sure that no one would ever be helpless as I."

Marik gently brushed the hair away from her face in a tender gesture. "I do not believe that anyone could mistake you as being helpless."

Alanna blushed. _Why can't I stop thinking of him? He's just my employer and a Jedi. An incredibly brave and handsome Jedi. No. Just a Jedi and I'm a Bounty Hunter. Nothing more. And yet I do feel something for him. But how could he feel the same for me? After what I've done, I don't deserve love like that._

The healing was complete, and Marik ended his trance state. He looked at Alanna. "Thank the Force you're safe." He leaned in closer to Alanna, as she was leaning in closer to him.

And they were interrupted by the comm unit. Shiro's voice came through loud and clear. "Hey guys! Look alive. Osma's is coming up. Hey guys...What are you doing in there?"

They both jumped and looked at each other sheepishly. Alanna hit the comm button. "We'll be right there, Shiro." They both rose from the bed and began to make their way to the cargo bay, where everyone else waited.

Shiro's voice came over the comm. again. "Ame says 'make it snappy.'"

Alanna hit a comm button in the hallway as she and Marik walked on. "We're on our way now."

The_ Levana_ settled down onto the landing pad of the Wayland police station and Marik and Alanna stepped out, looking around at the landing area and the station. Marik noted it was awfully quiet and the platform was strangely barren of personnel.

"It's quiet. Too quiet." Marik looked at Alanna, cavalier-like.

Alanna rolled her eyes and nodded. She turned her head and yelled, "Okay, Frell, bring him out."

Frell came forward, pulling the bound and gagged Melkior. Shiro ran up and tapped Melkior on the shoulder.

"Hey, Melk, how you holding up? Those ropes tight enough for ya? Cause, ya know, we can sure make 'em tighter!"

Melkior uttered an angry muffled noise. Shiro gave him a wet willy and patted him on the back. Amelie and Mulann brought up the rear. At first they looked around protectively, but soon dropped their guard and started kidding around.

Marik went up to the building door and typed in the access code. The door opened automatically and the group strolled in and walked down the hall.

Amelie and Mulann engaged in a mock battle of Mandalorian vs. Jedi, with Amelie withdrawing her Mandalorian blaster and aiming it at Mulann, then running back. "Hah! Come and get me, Jeti!"

Mulann responded by playfully charging at Amelie, holding her lightsaber hilt high. "For the Order!" The two clunked into Melkior and laughed, as Melkior groaned in annoyance.

Marik turned to Alanna and spoke officiously, "When we meet up with the police force, let me do the talking. Please don't cause any uproar."

Alanna rolled her eyes again, mock saluted Marik, and said, "Whatever you say, sheriff!"

Marik turned away, sighed and cursed himself inwardly. _You're making a great impression, dude. She's swept off her feet. Just chill…Wait a second. What is that? _Marik suddenly felt a tremor in the Force. He sensed something was not right.

Marik looked in the main office windowand noticed it was dark and nobody was in the office. He reached out with the Force and sensed the officers in the combat training room. He gave Alanna a warning look. Alanna put her hand on her blaster.

Marik whistled over to the rest of the group. "Guys, something's up!"

He ran straight for the training room door and opened it. Marik looked around and gasped at what he saw. Antinnis Tremayne stood in front of a platoon of Stormtroopers and a group of Dark Jedi in the center of the room. In the back were the police officers contained in cortosis cages. Around the catawaulk were a group of bounty hunters led by Drakk Menace. The rest of Marik's group ran into the room and the doors slammed shut and automatically locked behind them.

Tremayne smiled. "Greetings…"


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 8_

Shiro gasped in fear. In his mind, the terrible memories of the past, his experimentation and his first bout with Tremayne, flashed before him. He pointed at Tremayne, turned to Marik and his group and yelled out, "This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet who pursues…!"

Amelie stopped him, "Shiro, please relax! I'll handle this!" She looked over at the bounty hunter Kubla and gave him a friendly wave. "Hey Kubla, what's going on here?" Kubla pointed his blaster at Amelie. Amelie's expression fell. "Oh come on, Kubla, Tremayne can't be paying you that much for my head!"

Tremayne coughed, drawing Amelie and the group's attention back to him, "Ahem! As I was saying, greetings. We meet again. Now before we all lose our heads I have a proposition for you."

Amelie blurted out again, "Tremayne, I told you before, I don't do business with cowardly Imperial murderers like you."

Alanna nodded at Amelie's words and scoffed, "I do no business with the gorram Empire, or its scum!"

Marik put his hand on Alanna's shoulder, "The same goes for me!" Alanna looked over at Marik's hand, annoyed.

Tremayne's smile turned to a frown. "You may change your minds when you hear my plans."

Amelie continued, unabated. "Frack it! I'm calling Boba to see about this! This has to be a mistake!" She pulled out her comlink and attempted to make a call. Tremayne rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. One of the Stormtroopers fired his rifle at Amelie's comlink and blasted it. Amelie fell silent.

Tremayne sighed. "Now, this can go quite smoothly. I ask for two simple things. The Empire will let all these Jedi go in exchange for the highly skilled Marik Horn and Shiro." He looked over at Shiro, who shivered. "Shiro, you must have known this would happen. Come, it's time to return home. You've caused enough trouble. This is the only way."

Marik called out, "I will never go to the Empire!"

Shiro recovered some when he heard Marik's brave words. "You're right, Marik. This is milching Malecho. It means mischief."

Suddenly, Melkior used all his strength and bit through his gag. "Tremayne!" he yelled out. "Please, don't do this! Let me handle this! You're going to get people needlessly killed! I can sense it!"

"Steady now, Melkior," Tremayne said. "I know what I'm doing. No one need be harmed today."

Tremayne turned to look at Marik. Two former colleagues gazed at each other, now polar opposites and enemies. Marik looked at Tremayne with furious intensity, as Tremayne smiled cruelly. "Marik, be wise. We both were Jedi. But I have chosen the stronger path. The right path. The path that leads to power and glory."

"Tremayne, I knew you as a Jedi. That is true. I would have never believed that you would have turned into such a monster." Marik lowered his head for a moment.

Alanna looked at Tremayne. "Tremayne," she said. "You want them, you go through me!" She reached for her blaster. The hunters leveled their rifles toward her.

Tremayne turned to Shiro. "Well, Shiro, what's it to be? Are you ready to accept the true path? Make the right choice. The only choice. Save these people. Return to the Empire. There is no other place to go."

"Sith lie, Shiro! They lie! Remember what the Sith did to you and the Jedi?" Amelie reached for her blaster.

Menace noted the action and brought his armored hand up and withdrew two whirling blades, grinning evilly. "That's it, Ame. Be stupid, please. I'm begging you."

Mulann moved forward a little and put a hand on her lightsaber hilt. "Shiro, don't go back! Don't become mindless!"

Marik was the most fearful of the whole group. He looked around the room. He realized that they were clearly outnumbered. If he could somehow release the Jedi police officers from their cages then they might have a chance. That was assuming that they decided to fight back. The odds were not in their favor. Marik gulped. His fears had come true. All his hopes, all his work would be for nothing if they were taken by the Empire. Still, Marik remembered his Jedi teachings and how he had been taught not to listen to fear but to trust in his strength in the Force and boldly stand up for what was right. He had escaped worse moments than this during the Clone Wars. He was surrounded by able-bodied allies. They just had to hope. But it all depended on Shiro's decision. He prayed that Shiro would not falter.

"Shiro!" he called out. "Don't listen to him. He has no intention of letting the others go."

Shiro spent a minute deep in thought, looking around the room, analyzing the situation. He then turned and looked at Tremayne and smiled a cruel smile. He laughed and moved forward, swinging from side to side.

"Yes," he said. "It is time to make a choice. Will you, won't you? Will you? Won't you? Won't you join the dance?"

Mulann gasped. Shiro was giving up. "Shiro, wait!" she called out.

Shiro swayed a little and turned around to look at Marik and the others. He winked. Marik and the others relaxed somewhat but then they prepared themselves for what was to come.

"That's it, Shiro," said Tremayne. "The Empire offers security. And truth."

Marik scoffed, "The Empire knows not what truth is. They prefer to experiment on and destroy mere children."

Off to the side, Melkior looked up and thanked the Force. "That's it, Shiro, follow your heart. Yes, end this safely."

Alanna angrily nudged Melkior with her blaster. "You be quiet. I'm just looking for an excuse to get rid of you."

Shiro came up to Tremayne. He held out his lightsaber toward him as if in offering. "We are all tossed by the sea. Only the strong and wise can ride the surf to shore."

Tremayne grasped the handle of Shiro's lightsaber. Shiro held on tight. He looked at Tremayne and said, "Time to ride the wave!"

Then Shiro suddenly pulled himself up in the air with the Force, swinging over Tremayne with his lightsaber. He came to the ground, turned around, and knocked Tremayne down with a leg sweep. He turned to the Stormtroopers and Force pushed them over like dominoes. He yelled out, "Marik, NOW!"

Marik didn't hesitate for a moment. He had already planned out his steps. He used Force push to knock over the bounty hunters in the rafters. "Cover me!" he yelled over to Alanna and the rest. Alanna, Amelie and Frell fired at the bounty hunters, knocking some of them down from the balcony. Marik ran toward Tremayne. He moved as fast as he possibly could. Tremayne glared at Marik, he reached for his lightsaber and braced himself. But then Marik suddenly passed Tremayne and headed straight for a cortosis cage. He scrambled to unlock the cages while Shiro sliced the barrels off some of the Stormtroopers' rifles. The bounty hunters picked themselves up and fired back at Alanna and the group, who returned fire.

Using Jedi speed, Marik tried several turns until the cage door gave away. Tremayne pressed a button on his gauntlet that sounded an alarm. Sweeping the cage door open, Marik called out, "Come, my brothers, I need your help!" The Jedi jumped out, igniting their lightsabers as the Dark Jedi moved to engage them. Marik called out, "Mulann, I need help over here!"

A door opened and more Stormtroopers filed in. Two of them picked up Tremayne. Tremayne yelled out to them, "Don't just stand there! Kill them! Kill them all!"

Several Stormtroopers turned to fire at Marik. Alanna yelled out, "Hey!" The Stormtroopers turned around and Alanna fired at them, killing a few. Mulann ran over and opened the other cage while the Jedi covered her.

Drakk Menace grinned and shot four spinning blade wheels at Amelie. She quickly dodged them. Drakk pointed a finger at Amelie and whispered, "I'll get you!"

The Dark Jedi sprang at the Jedi. As he led the charge of Jedi, Marik cried out, "For the Order!" Lightsabers flashed back and forth.

One Dark Jedi jumped over to attack Mulann. Shiro flipped and Force pushed the Dark Jedi across the room. Mulann smiled and said, "Shiro!"

Shiro nodded and smiled, "Mulann. Shall we?" Shiro, Mulann, and Marik turned as one and fought the Dark Jedi in unison, crossing blades and Force pushing many. Two Dark Jedi came from two sides toward Mulann. Mulann jumped up and did a roundhouse kick, sending them flying. She moved with such grace and skill, it seemed more like dancing than fighting.

The Stormtroopers gathered together and advanced toward Alanna and her group. Alanna called out, "Fall back, guys!" Amelie and Frell retreated behind some pillars in the back under constant fire. They recharged their blasters. Alanna pulled Melkior in front of her. She growled at him, "I suggest that you don't move or try anything!" Alanna used Melkior as a shield and ran back over the steps, firing at the troopers. Frell tossed a grenade, blowing up some of the troopers and driving them back.

The Dark Jedi unleashed Force Lightning on Shiro and the Jedi. They were amazed as Shiro held out his hand and blocked the lightning and turned it back toward them, a rare Force talent. Marik looked at Shiro and said, "You didn't tell me you could do that!" Shiro grinned and shrugged in response.

Some bounty hunters zoomed down from the rafters. A Rodian came up and threw a small knife into Alanna's shoulder. Alanna cried out in pain. Amelie turned and blasted him. Alanna pulled out the knife and turned and saw a bounty hunter hurl an axe towards Amelie's head. Using all her strength, Alanna blasted the axe, knocking it off course. Alanna pulled out a quick healing bacta patch and put in on her wound. A Klaatu, Barrada and a Nikto came at Amelie with swords. Frell jumped up and grabbed the Klaatu, picked him up in the air, turned him upside down and smacked his head down onto the floor. The Barrada ran at Frell, who swung a punch and a kick at him, knocking him down. The Nikto came up behind Frell. Frell backhanded him, turned around and punched him many times hard in the chest. He finished with a Mandalorian fighting stance. "Alright, Frell!" Amelie exclaimed and continued firing at the troopers.

A Quarren suddenly pressed his rifle right up against Amelie's chest. Amelie turned and gasped. Before he could fire, a vibroblade edge sliced straight down through the middle of his head. Drakk Menace stood over him. "No!" he said. "Starkiller is mine!" The Quarren fell over to the side. Alanna pointed her blaster toward Menace but Menace threw a boomerang that pierced the blaster and sent it flying into the wall. Before Amelie could react, Menace reared his mechanical leg back and kicked Amelie hard into the center of the room and the firefight.

Coughing, Amelie quickly grabbed a fallen wall panel and held it in front of her as a shield. Amelie shook all over as blasts rocked the panel in front of her. She closed her eyes and whimpered, "Somebody help me!" Alanna and Frell stood and watched, helpless to aide her. Mulann looked over at Amelie and ran toward her.

Menace threw a shockwave device that rocked the room and knocked the Stormtroopers back. He went up and sliced Amelie's shield in two. Amelie looked up at him defiantly. "This time, Starkiller, you die!" he said. He reared back with his blade.

Mulann arrived just in time and Force threw Menace across the room, smashing him into a wall. Mulann helped Amelie up. "Are you okay, Ame?"

Amelie smiled, "Never better, old friend."

Menace shook his head, cracking his neck and stood up. His arm unfolded, revealing a cannon. He said, "Deal with this!" He fired a small missile at Mulann. Mulann raised up her lightsaber to block it. Then she gasped as she saw the missile come apart and split into many tiny blades she could not possibly block at the same time. Amelie cried out, "Mulann, NO!" The blades rammed into Mulann and she fell to the floor with a thud.

For a moment, all the action seemed to stop. Everyone's eyes turned in shock to watch the fall of the noble Tusken Jedi, Mulann Fennixx.

Amelie clenched her fists and tears came to her eyes. She whimpered, "No, no, no, no!"

Shiro screamed and raced toward Mulann's fallen form but was blocked by Dark Jedi. "Blow winds!" he cried out. "Crack your cheeks!"

Melkior stood gasping in horror at the sight.

Menace chuckled. He nudged Mulann's body with his foot. He looked at Ame. "My, how the tables have turned. Guess this makes us even, eh Amelie?" Amelie looked up at him with cursing eyes. Menace smirked. "Okay, maybe not really. Well then… how would you like a little payback?" He handed her back her weapon.

Then Menace reached back over his metallic spine and pulled out a small device and pressed it to the wall. The device beeped and the wall exploded. Menace looked over at Amelie and motioned at her with his head and then zoomed through the hole.

Amelie watched him leave and took a long look at the fallen Mulann. Frell called, "Ame, wait!" But it was too late. Amelie ran through the hole after Menace.

The Stormtroopers turned back toward Alanna and Frell. Alanna cursed, "J'katha!" She saw a fallen Stormtrooper rising off the ground. She kicked him back into unconsciousness and grabbed his rifle. She cocked it to get more force out of it. As the Stormtroopers ran up to her, she picked them off, one by one. Frell looked over at her and they smiled at each other.

Then Frell yelled out, "Look out!" A Stormtrooper jumped over in front of Alanna and hit her hard in the head with the butt of his gun. She cried out and fell back. The Stormtrooper grabbed Melkior from the corner of the room and carried him on his back. He stopped and aimed his gun toward Alanna to fire.

From the other side of the room, Marik saw. He called out, "No!" and threw his lightsaber into the trooper's back. The trooper fell dead. Marik ran over, retrieved his lightsaber with the Force and shook Alanna. "Alanna! Wake up! Wake up!"

The hole in the wall led to an empty row of prison cells. Amelie walked cautiously, holding her blaster ready. She heard a crash from down in the hall ahead of her. A layer of fog flowed down the hallway toward her, enveloping her. Menace had probably broken a radiator. Amelie took a deep breath. _You wanna play?_ Amelie thought. _Let's play._

Amelie walked through the halls, pausing and looking into each cell. Suddenly she felt a blade quickly move past her and side-swipe her. She winced and swooped around, holding her blaster out in front of her. Nothing. Silence. Then another swipe to her back and she turned quickly again. Another swipe and another. The fog was too thick for her to see him coming. He was playing with her like a cat with a mouse. She held her side. Thankfully, she was bleeding only a little. She turned around and around, firing and yelling. She stopped. Silence.

"Menace!" she yelled. "You coward! Face me! Where are you?"

From behind she heard a faint whisper. "Here!" She turned and found herself face to face with Menace. She punched him hard in the chest. Then she grabbed her hand in pain. He held still and felt nothing.

Menace smiled. "I owe you for that." He punched her in her chest, knocking her down and knocking the blaster out of her hand. "Don't you remember, Ame? You hit me there before. Your wound started off the whole process of cybernetics. I guess I should thank you for that. You made me what I am today." Amelie spat indignantly. Menace grinned wickedly. "Don't move and I'll show my appreciation for you!"

Another Stormtrooper picked Melkior up and carried him toward Tremayne, set him down and opened his cuffs.

"Tremayne, you idiot!" Melkior yelled. "Look what you've done! I told you that people would be needlessly killed! You've fracked this all up!"

"Oh, shut up, Melkior!" Tremayne said. "They're only Jedi anyways! That Mulann got what was coming to her!"

Melkior growled at Tremayne. Tremayne turned and saw Marik cradling Alanna. He glared and reached out his hand, using the Force. Marik felt a sudden strong pull on him and, dropping Alanna, he was jerked though the air toward Tremayne. He was swept right up to him and then stopped mid-air. Tremayne reached down and slowly pulled out his lightsaber. He smiled wickedly and ignited the saber. He dropped Marik to the ground. Marik picked himself up, baring his teeth at Tremayne, and he ignited his lightsaber.

Tremayne laughed, "I've been waiting for this!"

Marik yelled, "Betrayer! I shall cut you down and spare the galaxy of your cruelty."

Marik swiped at Tremayne. Tremayne twirled and blocked from his back. He turned back around and advanced, twirling his lightsaber. Marik blocked again and again, fully aware that he was taking on an opponent much stronger in the Force than he was. Tremayne raised an eyebrow and pointed his hand at Marik. Marik was raised up in the air. He felt a strong pressure on his throat. Tremayne was Force choking him.

Tremayne grinned. "You're such a weakling, Marik. You know you'll never be able to protect him. Accept it. He is mine. You are mine. Give up now. To fight is futile." Tremayne dropped him and then turned to a Stormtrooper behind him. "Call my ship," he said. "He's coming with us."

Tremayne turned and was immediately confronted by Marik, who rose up and sliced at Tremayne's legs. Tremayne narrowly avoided the slash. Marik looked up at Tremayne and said, "I'm not done yet!"

Menace stepped forward and raised his leg up to step on Amelie. Amelie rose up quickly and kicked Menace in the face. Menace yelled. She got up and ran through the fog, pursued by Menace. Then suddenly she tripped and fell to the ground. Menace came toward her. She looked up and faintly saw a metal bar above her. Amelie jumped in the air and grabbed the bar. She swung into a roundhouse kick at Menace, crying, "HIYAH!"

Menace staggered back and Amelie jumped onto his back. As he reached to grab her, Amelie pressed a button and activated his jetpack. She jumped off and he rocketed into the ceiling, hitting it hard and busting his jetpack. He fell to the floor, dizzy.

Amelie walked slowly over to Menace and stood over him, looking with cold eyes. "I'm going to be merciful to you, Menace."

She picked up his double-vibroblade off his back and used all her strength and broke it in half. Then she raised one of the broken ends over Menace's head. Menace looked up with fear. He couldn't believe this was real.

"I'm going to give you… death!" She swiftly brought the blade down, decapitating him. A fitting death. Death by his own blade.

Tremayne unleashed Force lightning toward Marik. Marik flipped to avoid it. Shiro rushed toward the fight.

"Goblin lead them up and down!" Shiro cried. He and Marik swung their lightsabers in unison at Tremayne. Tremayne used Force speed to fight both of them, back and forth. He was too fast for Marik to catch, but not too fast for Shiro. Just as Tremayne was about to run Marik through, Shiro blew him back with a Force push. Shiro and Marik smiled at one another. Tremayne jumped up and Force pushed Marik across the room. He grabbed Shiro from behind and threw him to the ground, knocking the wind out of him.

"Foolish boy!" Tremayne hissed, holding the struggling Shiro down. "You'll never be free of us! You bring this pain upon yourself!" Tremayne raised his lightsaber up in the air over Shiro's head. Marik's eyes went wide. He reached his hand up and Force pushed Tremayne back.

Shiro recovered quickly and jumped in the air, twirling and stopped in mid-air, his blade clashing with Tremayne's. Shiro struck Tremayne's blade again and again, harder and harder. "YOUR KIND TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME!" he yelled.

Marik ran up to help Shiro subdue Tremayne. Tremayne blew them both back with a mighty Force push. As they tried to get back up, they heard a sound from above and looked up. The ceiling began to mechanically open up by remote control. An Imperial Shuttle settled down to hover over the floor.

Shiro said, "No!" Tremayne hustled into the maw of the ship. Melkior directed a mournful glance at Mulann's body and at Shiro, then ran into the ship. The Shuttle flew up above the room. Tremayne hung onto the outside of the ship looking down at Marik and Shiro.

Marik called out, "This isn't over!"

"Of course not!" Tremayne said. "Oh, Shiro, I would try looking up Senator Osma on that disc of yours. You may find your next clue!"

The ship ascended into the sky. Shiro used all his Force strength and lifted himself straight up toward the ship. But the ship was too high and too fast and Shiro fell back down. He lowered himself slowly to the ground with the Force. He looked back up at the sky and cried out, "Well flown bird! In the clout! In the clout!"

The group stopped fighting and looked around. The battle was over. All their opponents were dead. Bodies lay strewn across the blasted training room. And among the bodies was their dear friend, Mulann. It was a hollow victory.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 9_

Shiro looked up into the sky, watching the Shuttle fade from sight. Then he looked down and whimpered sadly. "What have I done?"

Marik went toward Shiro. "Shiro…" But Shiro ran past him, over to Mulann's body.

Shiro put his arms around the unresponsive Mulann. "No! This feather moves! Dead as earth! NO!" In a flash, the dreaded memories came to Shiro again. He was assaulted with vivid scenes of Jedi deaths, projected into his mind by Crow, accusing him of foolishness and failure.

Twirling about in anguish, he cried out, "Make them stop! They're everywhere! They're all inside me! I can hear them and they're saying... NOTHING! GET OUT! Please, get them out! Please, make me a stone." He kneeled before Mulann, filled with feelings he could not fully express. He felt cursed, cursed to lose all those closest to him.

Marik closed his eyes briefly as he felt Mulann's death echo through the Force. He came up and placed one hand on Shiro's shoulder. "Shiro… She died saving Amelie. She died trying to help save you and all of us. Her death is an honorable one." Shiro was silent with grief.

Frell shook Alanna, who awoke groggily and looked over at the spectacle of Shiro, Marik and the dead Mulann. She put her hand over her mouth in dismay. She went over to Marik and hugged him. "Oh, Marik, I'm so sorry!"

Amelie walked in through the hole in the wall. Frell looked over at her in concern. "Amelie, you okay?"

Amelie's eyes stared far ahead. She betrayed no emotion. Her face was stone cold. "It's over. Menace is dead." She looked at Frell. "Where's Tremayne?"

"He and Melkior got away. They fled like cowards. I'm sorry, Ame." He went over to hug her.

Amelie stopped him. "Don't. Please. I just need a moment." She looked over at Shiro and the fallen Mulann. She walked over to Shiro. "Shiro…," she murmured.

Shiro rose up and grabbed Amelie's hand. "Put a blaster to me! Shoot me! Laser in the brain pan, pow!"

Amelie's eyes suddenly welled up in tears. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Shiro, I can't."

Marik cut in, "Shiro, you can't give up. She would want you to live."

Shiro turned angrily toward the entire group. "WHAT IS THE POINT? Eventually they win! I knew this would happen! No one's safe around me! No one!"

Amelie tried to speak but she understood Shiro's rage too well. She and Shiro had both been very close to Mulann. They knew they had been her dearest friends. Now that that was over, she knew neither of them was ready yet to face to the hard tasks ahead of them.

Alanna took a step toward Shiro. "We can still fight, Shiro. I will fight. I will help you fight."

Shiro screamed, "They will pay! I swear they will pay! The Empire will pay for this!

Amelie spoke up with effort. She felt Shiro's pain. "I know they will, Shiro. I lost my best friend."

Shiro pulled out his lightsaber, ignited it and plunged it into the floor in a cry of anguish. He began to weep. The rest of the group was struck speechless. The freed Jedi police officers came forward. One of the officers stepped in front of the rest and came up to Shiro.

"I am Bors. You saved us, Shiro. You fought bravely. The sacrifices of you and your friends were not in vain. We are all in your debt." The Jedi kneeled before Shiro. Shiro looked at them but he couldn't reply. He was still so lost in his grief.

Bors went over to Marik. "Marik, thank you for risking your life for all of us. Now what shall we do to avoid reprisals from the Empire?"

After a moment, Marik spoke. "We have to leave Wayland. It is no longer safe here. We will go to Bothawui. I hear it is safe there. The Bothan Spynet has sheltered many Jedi fugitives by employing them as stealth information agents. Some of you can go with us aboard the _Star Searcher_ and the _Levana_. Senator Osma will supply transportation for the rest. I shall see you there, brethren."

Amelie overheard. "Daargo's on Bothawui. It will be good to see a friend." She turned to Marik. "Marik, can you carry out a Jedi Funeral Pyre?"

Marik looked at her with deep sympathy. "Yes, of course."

"Please, I think she'd want that." She turned to Shiro. "Shiro, help me pick up Mulann's body."

Shiro looked up sorrowfully at Amelie. "Okay," he sniffed.

Alanna, Amelie, Bors and Shiro carefully picked up Mulann's body and carried it outside into the ship as the rest of the group followed. They set Mulann down in one of the containment cells. Shiro walked into the Game Room, looking for Marik. Marik was discussing preparations for resettlement with Bors and the other Jedi.

Shiro came up to Marik and spoke furiously and accusingly, "Now you see. Why couldn't we save her? This is all my fault! And your Light Side did nothing to stop it!"

Marik raised an eyebrow. He turned to Bors and the Jedi. "I need some privacy for a moment, okay?" The Jedi nodded and calmly exited.

Marik turned to Shiro and spoke definitively. "Shiro, we couldn't save her. It happened too quickly for us to respond. She sacrificed herself to save Amelie. Light Side or Dark Side, some things cannot be stopped. I am sorry."

"But she came here to save me! I dragged her into all this!"

Marik put his hand on Shiro's shoulder. "She chose her path. She knew what it might mean, and she still chose to help you. As we all have."

Shiro bowed his head and closed his eyes. "I should kill myself."

"Shiro, that won't bring her back. She wouldn't want you to give up…"

"All this trouble. All this pain. Over me. Can't I do anything good?"

"All this is not your fault. It is the Sith who are responsible. If they didn't choose to pursue you, none of this would have happened."

Shiro only responded with tears. Marik embraced him. "It's okay, Shiro. You did nothing wrong." He held him close, not knowing what else to do.

Later, Shiro was in his quarters. He remembered what Tremayne had said about Senator Osma and the disc. He decided to check it out. He inserted the disc and pulled up the files on his comp. Then he gasped at what he saw. He couldn't believe it. But now he knew what he had to do. It was the only thing to do.

He grabbed his lightsaber and opened his door. He looked down the corridor. The others were recovering from the battle and making preparations for the funeral and to leave the planet. Shiro quietly slipped out. Not completely quiet though. Marik heard him as he exited the ship. He sensed something awry in Shiro's mind. Silently, he followed Shiro at some distance. It was not easy to keep up with him though.

Shiro headed past the Police Station to the Capitol building. He went in and, one by one, he used the Force to knock out the guards down the halls. He opened a door and saw a man with blue officious clothes sitting at a desk.

"Senator Evander Osma?" he said.

The man replied, "Yes?"

Shiro flipped in the air and landed on Osma's desk. He pulled out his lightsaber, ignited it and held it towards Osma's throat. He spoke to him with ferocity. "REMEMBER ME? I am a messenger from your past! The Ghost of Life-Day Past!"

The Senator was instantly struck with fear. He tried to remain calm though. "Who are you? What do you want?"

Marik came into the office at that moment. He saw Shiro's lightsaber pointed at the Senator. He wasn't sure what to do. Shiro was much faster than him. If he moved to grab Shiro, he probably wouldn't be quick enough and Shiro would take the Senator down. He decided to speak calmly and coax Shiro away from doing anything rash. "Shiro, this is my benefactor," he said. "What are you doing?"

Shiro ignored Marik and responded to the senator. "I am Shiro! And I want justice!"

Osma's eyes suddenly flashed with amazement and great fear. "Shiro? No! It can't be! Shiro? You escaped! How did you survive?"

"Shiro, calm down!" Marik said. "Senator, what is going on? How do you know Shiro?"

"Yes, tell him, Senator!" Shiro shouted. "Tell him about your work as an Imperial scientist. On the Youngling Project! Tell him what you did to me and my friends!"

Marik looked back at the senator. "Senator, what is he talking about?"

Osma's expression fell. He looked over at Marik with remorseful eyes. Then he took a deep breath. "It's true, Marik. A year before I became a senator, I was a scientist working for Palpatine. We were specializing in psychic and Force sensitivity research. We never thought..."

Marik's eyes went wide and he shook his head in disbelief. "How... how could you? The Younglings..."

The senator continued, "Palpatine brought in the Younglings a few days after he took power. He forced us with his power to instill the programming he concocted for them and to perform the experiments according to his specifications. We were supervised by a team of heartless people. They threatened us and our families if we did not obey them. We had no choice."

Marik looked more than slightly ill.

"I was just a lowly scientist at the time. What could I do? I regretted it but I had to comply. When I was appointed senator as fee, I made sure I could save as many Jedi as possible on my planet and elsewhere in the galaxy. I'm ashamed for what I did."

Marik was without words in his horror.

Shiro sang a grim tune, "No, lovely ladies, he's bound for Hades! Shame! Shame! Shame!"

Marik closed his eyes and mumbled, "The evil that men do lives after them…"

Shiro swung his lightsaber back at an angle and prepared to slice the senator's throat. "Swift as an arrow through a Tartar's bow!"

Marik put his hand out. "Shiro, wait! His death won't change anything! What's done is done."

Shiro stopped and thought for a moment. He looked over his shoulder and nodded. "No. You're right, Marik." He turned and directed a grim, penetrating look at Senator Osma. "First, he will tell the last piece of the puzzle."

Osma began to shake under Shiro's gaze. "What do you wish to know?"

Shiro spoke with a mad fury. "How do we turn all the programming off? There must be a way!"

"I know that Marik is a Mind Healer, and so he may be able to subdue the Crow Program. But that may not be enough. The best solution may be found on Byss. It will be very dangerous but it's the only true way to completely destroy the Empire's programming and give the Younglings the chance to fight back and escape from the Empire's custody. The operation was performed on Byss. Only there can the Crow program truly be eliminated. A Force Crystal must be inserted into the heart of the reactor in the laboratory there."

"A crystal?" Marik said. "We must go to the planet Ilum then. It is the only place where natural Force Crystals form. However, going to Byss will be incredibly dangerous indeed. The Dark Side is powerful there."

"NOW HE DIES!" Shiro shouted.

"No, wait!" Marik cried.

"Have to strike now! Can't be weak!"

"Don't you see this is what the Empire wants? Tremayne wants Senator Osma eliminated for aiding Jedi. That's why he told you of Osma's role in your experimentation; so that you would do the job for him and assassinate him. If you kill him, you'll just be playing the Empire's pawn again."

"I don't care!"

"It is wrong, Shiro!" Marik looked at the senator's face and read his soul. "He is unarmed. He is repentant. He is not a threat to you or your friends anymore!"

Shiro turned to Marik with a hurt look in his eyes. "But he deserves…"

"Shiro, if you kill him you will follow hate and go down the path of the Dark Side. Resist it; forgive him. If not for him, I would have died on that asteroid with Master Garen. Weigh the good and the bad, which is stronger? Show mercy and love. That is the true power of the Light. Forgive, Shiro, and come to the Light."

Shiro looked down and shook his head. "Too many voices! Too many voices! Must silence the voices forever!" He shook all over. "To kill or not to kill. That is the question."

Marik walked slowly up to Shiro. "Forgive… before you become that which you despise most."

Osma tensely closed his eyes and prepared for the blow. He submitted himself to this fate. Shiro looked back at the senator. He gritted his teeth in indecision. He was torn. He had vowed to seek full recompense for the wrongs against him and the other Younglings. Here was the man responsible for performing the experiments that imprisoned the minds of the Younglings and had led to his insanity. He deserved punishment for his crime. But when Shiro looked at him, he saw an innocent man, truly sorry for what he had done. Shiro began to breathe heavily with frustration and outrage. And then he made his decision.

Shiro cried out, "NOOOO!" and threw his lightsaber to the floor. "I will not be a puppet of the Dark!"

Marik breathed a deep sigh of relief. Shiro was finally on his way to being completely free of the Dark Side's hold on him. Marik walked over and slowly picked up the discarded lightsaber and deactivated it. He went over to Shiro and laid his hand on his shoulder. "You have chosen wisely."

Shiro turned to Marik. "It has to end, Marik! Prove to me that you can stop this! Show the power of the Light! Help me!"

Marik looked straight into Shiro's eyes. "Shiro, I will do everything within my power to help you. You have my word. I won't abandon you again."

"I trust you." Shiro meant it. They embraced one another.

Senator Osma rose back up in his chair. He faced Shiro seriously. "I'm sorry, Shiro. I hope you succeed. Good luck, and may the Force be with you."

Shiro nodded.

Marik ushered Shiro toward the door. "Come, brother, we must go to see Mulann off into the Force now."

Shiro and Marik walked toward the door. Marik gave Osma a last reflective look and walked out. Shiro turned back around and looked at the senator solemnly. "I forgive you."

As Shiro and Marik came back towards the ship, Alanna ran up to greet them. She had a worried expression on her face.

She came up to Marik and asked, "What happened?"

"I will tell you later. For now, suffice it to say that Shiro has won a great victory."

Alanna looked from Marik to Shiro, who looked up at her with eyes filled with a new strength. Alanna smiled at Shiro. She knelt down to him with teary eyes and put her arm around him. "I'm sure Mulann would be proud of you."

Marik spoke up. "Come, Alanna. We must go to the jungle near my house. Before we leave this planet, we must perform a funeral for a noble Jedi."

Together, they headed back to the ship.

In a clearing in the jungle, the Jedi officers lit torches and stuck them on long poles into the ground. The sky was a clear blue, illuminated by many twinkling stars and a full moon. The jungle was strangely silent. No animal calls were to be heard. It was as if the jungle itself was in reverence of the memory of Mulann and the proceedings which were now to take place.

The _Levana _rested in the center of the glen. Outside it, there stood a makeshift funeral pyre stand where the body was to be placed. Marik came out of the ship and called Bors over to him. "Bors, is it safe outside?"

"Yes, Marik." Bors went in.

Marik, Alanna, Bors and Frell came out of the ship, carrying Mulann's body on all four sides. Looking very shaky and pale, Amelie came out, being led by Shiro, Kyra and Alexia. After he had helped the others set the body down, Frell came over to Amelie with a canteen of water and gave it to Amelie to drink.

Amelie took the canteen and looked into Frell's eyes. "I love you," she said. Then she took a drink.

The group gathered around the stand. Kyra and Alexia went up and laid flowers on Mulann's body, then covered it with a blanket. Bors came up to Marik and handed him a torch. Marik looked around slowly at the group. Some were sad with grief; others were joyful in memory of Mulann and her transformation into the Force. Marik closed his eyes and sensed the Force around him. After a moment of thought, he opened up his eyes and summoned up a friendly grin. "Strange," he said. "It feels like there is a new energy here."

Marik spoke loudly to all gathered there. "Mulann was a wise, graceful and powerful student of the Force. She was one with the Force in life; she also shall be in death. The Force was strong with her. Thank the Force for allowing her to achieve her destiny and for giving her such a full life. She has moved on with her journey."

He turned and bowed toward Mulann's body. "May the Force be with us always, as it was with you, teacher and friend." He looked over at the others. "If you would like to say something, now would be the time."

Alanna stepped forward first. She went up to Mulann's body and softly said, "Mulann, I knew you not long but I know that you were a good soul and will be much missed. Safe journey to you." She bowed before the body and stepped back.

Next Shiro stepped forward. "You first saved me from the Dark. I will never forget what you taught me. I won't fail."

The group turned to look at Amelie. Frell led Amelie forward. Amelie placed her hand on Mulann's body. Amelie spoke with a shaky voice and teary eyes. Frell held her hand. "You were the best friend I ever had. You were a great fighter and you had a great heart. You were my comrade and you helped me accept the Jedi as comrades. I shall never forget you. I am thankful for the time we had together." She took off her headband and placed it on the body. "Goodbye, my friend. And good journey." She stepped back falteringly.

Marik watched her step back. He took one last look at Mulann's body. He owed this woman so much for taking care of Shiro for years and keeping him in the path of the Light, despite the damage wrought on him by the Empire. It was the least he could do to give her the best funeral that he could give. He noticed how she still looked so young and beautiful, even in death.

Marik turned and looked back at Amelie. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Amelie nodded.

Marik walked over and touched the lit torch to the pyre. "Good journey," he said. The pyre quickly caught. Marik and all the Jedi bowed their heads as the pyre burned. The flames licked Mulann's body and danced about, encompassing the body in beautiful light. At the sight, Amelie fainted. Frell caught her. The fire burned hot and quickly and soon Mulann's body was consumed. Before long, the pyre began to burn out and nothing was left but moldering ashes.

Marik spoke to all gathered. "It is finished. Now we must make preparations to leave. There is nothing left here. Let us go back inside."

One by one, the Jedi snuffed out the torches and headed into the jungle toward Marik's house. The rest of the company turned toward the ship and began to enter it. Frell carried Amelie in.

Marik came up to Shiro. "Come, Shiro, it is time to leave."

"Each has their journeys," Shiro said. "Tell Alanna of the journey we must make."

"Yes," Marik nodded. He turned to Alanna. "Alanna, Shiro and I must get to Bothawui, to help the Jedi that are being moved there. After that we must go to Ilum. We have begun the journey that will lead to the freedom of Shiro's friends. Will you take us there?"

"Of course," Alanna replied. "I'm sticking with you guys through thick and thin. However, we are running low on Hyperdrive. We'll need to go somewhere to refuel before we head for Bothawui."

"Very well. We will stop at Aquaris. The Freeholders there are friendly to our cause."

"I'll set a course as soon as we're ready."

Marik and Alanna walked into the ship. Shiro stopped and looked up at the stars, reflecting. "Never was, always to be," he said. "No one ever saw, nor will ever see." He faintly smiled. Then after a moment, he joined the others inside.

_End of Book I_


End file.
